Dempsey and Makepeace, Point Of No Return s4 ep7
by bevhardy
Summary: After the bomb scare at SI10 Dempsey and Makepeace set to work on unravelling the corruption within the British government but all is not what it seems and after a threatening phone call, Dempsey must take matters into his own hands to protect Makepeace.
1. Chapter 1

Dempsey threw the remote control down on the coffee table with a groan and picked up yesterday's newspaper, turning the pages over in search of something to read that he might have missed. It was a fruitless exercise and he knew it but he had another couple of hours to kill before he needed to go to work and he was unused to being up so early so he had no idea how else to fill his time. Lying in bed with no hope of returning to sleep was torturous, even more so for the way his mind had begun to go over and over yesterday's events driving him to distraction with uncertainties and 'what ifs.' Without warning the sound of the telephone cut into the silence and sent his heart thundering. He turned to look at the phone on the table next to him, contemplating for a minute not picking it up. The ringing continued however so he snatched the receiver up suddenly, waiting for the caller to indicate who they were before speaking.

"Dempsey?" It was a man's voice.

"Boss?"

"Would you mind getting that Yankee brain of yours into working order pronto, I want you in here early today. There's the small matter of government corruption that we need to discuss…oh and get Makepeace up on the way, she's not answering her phone." Dempsey fell silent for a moment. "Dempsey? Am I speaking to quickly for you at this time of the morning? Would you like me to make it simpler?" Dempsey's mind was still grappling with the prospect of having to face Makepeace at her house. "Get out of bed, get your partner and get in here…now!"

"She's probably asleep, try phoning her again boss," he suggested.

Spikings fought to hold on to his patience. "Lieutenant, I think we can safely say that she is asleep, which is why she isn't answering her phone, why I can't speak to her and why I am asking you for the last time to get out of there and wake her up!"

He sighed. "Alright, alright I'm going!"

"So good of you. Be here within the hour," he ordered, hanging up the phone.

Dempsey sat in his car and for once the early morning rush hour traffic was not trying his patience. The traffic jam he was caught in gave him a little extra time to consider what to say to Makepeace and to wonder how she would react.

_Hey, maybe I'll be lucky and she won't have listened to her messages. It's possible. Then I can delete it. And if she has…well…I come on to her all the time right? So nothin's new. Okay so it was a little stronger come on this time but…stresses of the job and all that…it can make a man do strange things. But I ain't that desperate, I aint gonna pounce on her if she don't want it, so why'd she run off like that? A simple 'I'm busy tonight, let's take a rain check' would have done! Wait…so what was yesterday all about then? Come to think of it she was givin' me a fair bit of the come on herself! Yeah, that's right!_

He groaned and accelerated around the car in front of him, suddenly irritated by his own thought processes. By the time he reached Makepeace's house he was a mass of tension.

He got out of his car and strode purposefully to the front door, punching the doorbell with his forefinger and holding it on the button with the anticipation that Makepeace would take some time to answer. He was surprised therefore when she opened the door immediately, fully dressed and ready for work.

"Oh! You're up," he said instinctively.

"Amazing," she said clicking her fingers at him, "for a police lieutenant your powers of deduction are truly second to none!"

He frowned. "Spikings has been trying to contact you, we thought you'd be in bed."

"Oh I see," she said, standing aside to allow him to enter, "so it was Spikings then. I heard the phone ring but I was in the shower." He had a sudden vision of her showering then which was swiftly followed by a vivid recollection of them standing under the stream of water.

_Is he going to come in or is he just going to stand there staring at me? Okay, now I'm feeling awkward._

"Maybe he left a message," she said without thinking and inwardly cringing as she moved away from the door and back into the lounge. He sprung into action then and bolted through the front door after her, stopping suddenly when she turned around with a look of surprise.

"He asked me to come get you," he said quickly, "we gotta go now Harry. We aint got no time or he'll blow a gasket…you know Spikings," he added with a nervous laugh.

_He thinks I haven't listened to the message yet._

"Yes, I know Spikings. I'll just get my bag then," she replied, walking to the bureau and picking up her bag and keys. As soon as her back was turned Dempsey moved towards the phone and answering machine to see if there were any waiting messages. She turned too quickly for him to check however, forcing him to make pretence of looking out of the window instead. She smiled with amusement when she realised what he was trying to do.

_Serves him right for having second thoughts and leaving me standing at the office._

She strolled up behind him and gazed out of the window, moving her face in line with his.

"See anything interesting?" she asked with a questioning look, trying not to laugh. He jumped and turned to face her.

"No," he said shaking his head and faking innocence.

"Shall we go then?" she suggested, waiting for him to move.

When he made no attempt to leave she walked ahead of him to the front door with a knowing look. His eyes immediately shot to the answering machine again, however as he reached out to it he heard Makepeace call to him from outside,

"Hurry up lieutenant, Spikings is waiting." She popped her head back around the door and he groaned inwardly, giving up on the answering machine and joining her on the porch. She locked the door and dropped her keys into her handbag.

"Let's go," she said with a polite smile.


	2. Chapter 2

"So, did you do anything interesting last night?" Dempsey asked as he pulled out onto the main road. He immediately regretted the question; he hadn't meant it to come out quite as lamely as that. Makepeace turned and watched him for a moment.

"Not really. I had a few glasses of wine and then went to bed. I was exhausted," she replied.

He nodded. "Well it _was _one hell of a day."

"Yes," she grinned, "it certainly was." He turned his head away from her and looked out of the side window, cringing at his own words. Simultaneously she also turned her head away from him, stifling the laughter she could feel building inside her. He suddenly swung his head back again and added,

"What with the bomb scare and all I mean."

"What else would you mean?" she asked, feigning confusion.

"Nothing." He shook his head. She tried not to smile.

"So I guess you went straight in and headed for the wine eh," he said, fishing for information.

She laughed. "You make me sound like an out-and-out drunk. No I stopped to take my coat off before I ran into the kitchen for the bottle!"

"Look it's a stressful job, a cop's gotta unwind somehow," he answered.

"I only had two glasses," she assured him, "I'm not ready for the AA meetings yet." He suddenly felt impatient with all the pussy footing around.

"Hey, I get it that you were tired and wanted to go home but you rushed off kinda suddenly yesterday didn't you?"

She frowned. "_I_ rushed off? I came out of the locker rooms to find that you were already in your car and heading for home!"

His eyes widened. "You're kiddin' me. Chas said that you'd left already."

"He did?" she said with surprise.

"Yes he did," Dempsey confirmed with malice in his voice for the man who had put the kibosh on a promising evening between them. She chuckled and he turned to look at her.

"Dumb eh," he laughed. She put her hand to her head and shook it with the irony of the situation. He sped up and gave a self-satisfied smile.

_So she didn't run out on me! Wha'd'ya know!_

Fifteen minutes later he arrived at SI10 in a considerably more cheerful mood.

oxoxoxo

"Mr and Mrs Robert and Alexis Golding," Spikings announced, throwing a file down on the desk in front of Dempsey and Makepeace. "Aptly named; they are both worth a small fortune and it seems that they have been a major source of funding for the opposition party. And there's more files on them too but they have a lot of influence in high places which could well be why no action has been taken against them so far. Prove that they were involved in yesterday's events however and it will be enough to bring them down and give us some answers at the same time."

"Perfect," Dempsey smiled, putting his feet up on the desk. Spikings pushed his feet away and narrowed his eyes at him.

"Got out of bed on the right side this morning have we Dempsey? Hmm," he paused for thought, "I'm not sure whether I should feel relieved or concerned."

"Just tryin' to bring some warmth and sunshine into this dark and foreboding working environment," he grinned at Spikings.

"Foreboding?" Spikings mouthed to Makepeace with a puzzled look.

"Warmth and sunshine?" she mouthed back, with confusion. They both shrugged.

"Moving on. You can pay them a visit at 27 Montagu Place. Find out as much as you can."

"Anything you say boss," he replied as his eyes followed Makepeace when she bent forward to collect the file from off the desk.

"Dempsey I hope that your mind is fully focused on the job in hand today," Spikings said with a warning tone, "because if not I'll be forced to put another metaphorical bomb under a certain person's desk to get the results I'm waiting for." Dempsey sat up in his seat with a smile.

"Metaphorical," he quoted, "to describe an object as something else entirely."

Spikings growled. " May I suggest that you climb down off that metaphorical high horse of yours Dempsey and get and do some bloody work!" Dempsey jumped up off his seat then and headed for the door with Makepeace behind him. Before she reached the door she paused however and turned to Spikings with a grin.

"Very good that was sir, very quick."

oxoxoxoxo

A tall, muscular man dressed in a dark, pin striped suit was shown into the study of 27 Montague Place. He took a seat on the sofa opposite the imposing, leather winged back chair and addressed the man occupying it. He was offered a cognac which he accepted graciously, drinking sips out of the crystal glass and watching the curls of cigar smoke rise into the air from the host's mouth.

"I'm sure that I don't need to stress to you the need for extreme discretion after yesterday's carelessness." Although the man's words were polite the tone in his voice was menacing enough to set the guest's heart racing.

"I understand," he answered meekly, waiting for the man to continue whilst he took another slow drag of his Cuban cigar.

"Good, I'm glad we understand each other because I will not tolerate any more mistakes. See to it that none occur. I am holding you accountable," he stressed, pointing a firm finger at the man on the sofa. The man nodded and the host's eyes bore into him for several long moments causing him extreme discomfort.

"I have called you in here today because the situation has escalated and we now have a new problem to take care of." The man watched the guest's reaction closely as he lazily reached out to the heavy, marble ashtray on the table next to him to dispense of his ash. "I need you to get me some information on a Lieutenant James Dempsey, something we can use as leverage to...how shall I put it... to persuade him to cooperate."

"And this Lieutenant, he's SI10?" the man asked.

"Correct. But hopefully not for long. Our man who witnessed the fiasco yesterday brought some details to my attention which I believe might set us on the right course."

"Go on," the guest encouraged him only to be met with a steely glare. This wasn't a man to be rushed; or a man who answered to anybody. Everything was, and always had been, done in his own time to his specifications. People waited until he was ready, not a moment sooner, not a moment later. The man returned his attention to his cigar, rested it in the ashtray when he was satisfied and picked up his glass of cognac, holding it up to the light to contemplate its colour.

"He witnessed some sort of altercation between the lieutenant, his partner and his superior, brought on by the fact that one of the partners entered the evacuated building in search of the other." He leant his head against the back of the arm chair and let out a long, slow laugh. "Not the actions of a competent police officer but interesting all the same."

A question popped into the man's head then but he thought the better of asking it and waited for the host to continue instead.

"So I have been listening to various titbits of information concerning this man and what interests me is the connection between himself and his partner, a Detective Sergeant Harriet Makepeace or Lady Harriet Alexandra Charlotte Makepeace to be more precise. From what I can tell two people from completely opposite backgrounds, a very unlikely pairing but..." The man laughed loudly then, startling his guest with the sudden noise. "...you know what they say don't you?" The man looked cornered as he panicked to come up with an answer that would satisfy his host. "Opposites attract man," he chuckled, "opposites attract."

"Of course," he replied, struggling to follow the host's train of thought.

"Right, so what we need is somebody to put the theory to the test and find out if there is an attraction, relationship, personal connection or something of the like between the two." The man thought for a moment, lifting the glass of liquor to his nose and sniffing its contents. Seconds later he lifted his head abruptly making his guest tense with the sudden movement. "I think it's time that those two had a small psychological assessment considering the way that they put their own lives at risk during yesterday's events. Now does that sound like the actions of two mentally healthy people to you?"

The man shook his head vigorously.

"No. Send someone to conduct this psychological assessment with a view to gathering more information on the nature of the partners' relationship; or in fact any information which we could use as leverage against the lieutenant. But this time go through their head office, I want no mistakes made this time. If anyone suspects that our man, no," he changed his mind, "make it a woman, they seem to have more intuition for this kind of thing, if anyone suspects her to be bogus," the man stopped and sat motionless for a while before a sinister smile spread across his face, "heads will roll," he finished, spinning the cognac in his glass ferociously, emptying it into his mouth and slamming the glass down on the table by his side.


	3. Chapter 3

Dempsey pulled the car up at the side of the quiet, country road and turned to Makepeace.

"Pass me the map from off the back seat will you?"

Makepeace sighed and twisted herself in her seat to reach into the back of the car. Dempsey's eyes were drawn like a magnet to the opening of her filmy, blouse. He strained to see anything more than he had earlier from the side view he now had of her at close proximity.

"Here," she said, throwing the map onto his lap.

His eyes shot to her face, "Thanks." He opened the booklet and studied the page with the corner turned down yet again for the umpteenth time that morning.

"Are we any closer to getting there yet?" Makepeace asked with impatience.

"According to this yes, but where this place is exactly beats me," he said passing her the map. "Here, you take a look. Maybe you can figure it out."

She looked at the map with renewed determination to find the house which had eluded them so far. Glancing outside she turned her attention back to the map, scrutinizing it with a frown.

"You're right, it makes no sense," she said, turning to look at the front cover. "What kind of a map do you call this anyway?"

"It's a visitor's map. Picked it up in the subway."

She huffed. "This is what you use to find your way around the city? Haven't you invested in a simple A to Z yet?"

"Look, it aint there. This place aint on the map period!" he said with irritation.

"Maybe that's the point, maybe they don't want to be found," she pointed out.

"We'll carry on for a bit. You keep the map and give me directions," he said, passing the responsibility on to her.

They had been stuck in the car now for over an hour searching for the house and she was beginning to feel stifled and uncomfortable sitting in one position for so long. She tugged at her blouse in an attempt at cooling down and used the map to fan her flushed face.

"Can we just get a move on," she said impatiently.

He grinned. "I'm putting myself in your capable hands."

"I tell you what, why don't I drive?" she came back, not wanting to be burdened with finding a place that didn't seem to exist.

His grin widened. "Ah, so you want to be in _my_ capable hands."

She slapped him with the map. "Just drive!"

He laughed and pulled off onto the road again.

Another fifteen minutes later and they still hadn't found the house.

"Okay," Makepeace exclaimed, at the end of her tether, "stop the car."

Dempsey stopped again and she abruptly opened the door and got out, walking a little further ahead and peering through the hedges that lined the road.

"What you doin'?" Dempsey called, leaning out of the open door to take a look.

"I'm willing to bet that it's here. It's been right here somewhere all along," she said, crossing the road and scanning the fields opposite.

"Well I don't see no houses anywhere, do you?" he asked.

"It's here I'm telling you. It's just well hidden. Besides we've been past this place time and time again...and that map of yours says it's here, so it's here!" she finished with exasperation, striding further still down the road.

"It aint here," he said to himself, sitting back in his seat with his arms crossed.

After a while she came running back to the car.

"I've just seen a jeep turn through a gate up there in the hedge. There must be some kind of building it was heading for, let's take a look," she urged, slipping back into the passenger seat and closing the door.

When they reached the place where she had seen the jeep, the gate had been closed and padlocked again however the chain that was wrapped around the gatepost was loose, allowing Dempsey to slip it over the top of the post with a few sharp tugs. They drove up the rough dirt track which eventually turned into a gravel path leading through some overgrown gardens to the house that was concealed behind them.

"This is it. It has to be. It's on your map and here it is, I found it," she said smugly, getting out of the car and walking towards the front door.

"I found it," he mouthed, mocking her as he followed her to the house.

Makepeace rang the doorbell and before long a tall, middle aged woman dressed in a long floral outfit opened the door. They showed the woman their ID and Makepeace informed her that they wanted to ask Mr and Mrs Golding some questions about their involvement in the political campaign and general elections. The woman invited them into the large, rather dark but expensively furnished hall and led them through to a more cheerfully decorated lounge where she offered them a seat while she went to find the owners. On their way to the lounge Dempsey had spotted a dark haired woman who he had at first glance suspected to be Mrs Golding. However he realised his mistake when he saw the age of the woman who must have been only in her early twenties, as apposed to being the woman of forty six that Spikings had described. The woman took a quick glance at Dempsey as she passed and then disappeared into another room.

They sat on the pale, fleur de lys, brocade sofa and waited in silence for the woman to return. As the time passed Dempsey's mind began to wander and he glanced around the room taking nothing in whilst he considered broaching something with Makepeace. He played out a conversation in his head and struggled to find the words to put to her, turning to speak but then changing his mind and turning away again. The ticking of the clock on the mantelpiece seemed to get louder, emphasising the silence between them and pushing his patience to the limit.

"So do you wanna go out for dinner tonight then...or a date," he said out of the blue.

She turned to him with surprise and watched him for a moment before replying. "So what is it going to be then Dempsey? Dinner or a date?"

He looked uncertain. "Both?" Her eyes continued to search his, prompting him to speak again. "Well, more of a date really." Her eyes widened and he felt a sudden sense of panic. "Well I've got to stop you from hitting the bottle somehow," he added.

"Oh," she responded, looking unimpressed with his last comment.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting," the woman apologised, re-entering the room in a rush. Dempsey rolled his eyes at the woman's timing. "And I'm even more sorry to have to tell you that Mr and Mrs Golding have popped out." Both Dempsey and Makepeace looked at her dubiously. "But if you'd like to leave a contact number I'll make sure that they get back to you." Makepeace rose off the sofa and opened her handbag, fishing out a card and handing it to the woman.

"Would you tell Mr and Mrs Golding that we will be back to see them," she said politely but with a warning behind her words. Makepeace left the room then and headed for the front door with the woman behind her.

_So are we goin' on a date or not? Damn it!_

Dempsey stood up and moved towards the doorway but hesitated when he caught a glimpse of the dark haired woman he had seen earlier. He noticed her through an open door leading off the hallway and he was intrigued to see her glance nervously around the room she was standing in before slipping out of some patio doors and into the back garden.

"I'll be sure to tell Mr and Mrs Golding that you called," the woman assured them, ushering Dempsey towards the front door. "Goodbye," she said, waiting for him to join Makepeace in the porch before closing the door behind them.

"Waste of time that was!" Makepeace said crossly, turning to leave. "They obviously didn't want to speak to us."

As she descended the steps that led down from the front entrance however she found herself pulled away from the car and around to the back of the house.

"Dempsey! What are you doing?" she asked warily.

"Did you see that woman?" he said, edging around the side of the building to the back garden with Makepeace in tow.

"Which woman are we talking about?"

"The woman who snuck out here. There she is," he exclaimed, pointing down the garden. "And whoever he is," he said referring to a man who had joined her, "she doesn't want anyone to know that they're meeting."

The dark haired woman and a tall, muscular man dressed in a dark, pin striped suit rushed down the gravel path and disappeared out of view. Dempsey grabbed Makepeace's hand and sprinted along the path after them, slowing down when they passed the barrier of a hedge to emerge into an open garden area behind with a dilapidated greenhouse dominating the view. They both scanned the garden but saw no sign of the man and woman.

"Come on, if we can get to that greenhouse then there's a chance that they won't see us if they reappear," Dempsey said dragging a reluctant Makepeace across the lawn and into the open door of the greenhouse. Once inside Dempsey ducked behind a table of potted plants, pulling Makepeace with him.

"Well so far we can only be accused of trespassing and stalking; I suppose I should be grateful!" Makepeace said sarcastically.

Dempsey ignored her comment. "Here they come."

The man and woman appeared through a gap in the hedge and made their way towards the greenhouse, making Makepeace's heart race when she thought for a moment that they were going to be discovered. They stopped before they reached the greenhouse however and took a seat on a nearby bench. Both Dempsey and Makepeace strained to hear their conversation but found it difficult to make out whole sentences from across the gap.

"What did she say?" Makepeace whispered to Dempsey.

"I don't know," he replied, turning to her with an astounded look, "but she's American."

Makepeace looked surprised. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. What you think I don't recognise an American accent when I hear it?"

"Okay, okay, she's American. Now do you think you could lower your voice a bit Dempsey? Because I really don't think they are going to believe that we're admiring the rhododendrums!"

When Dempsey and Makepeace turned their attention back to the scene on the bench the man and women were in passionate embrace which ended when the woman broke away from the man in tears. The conversation that followed turned into what seemed to be an argument and the woman eventually ran away sobbing. The man sat on the bench for a while before slowly rising to follow her. When he seemed to be out of sight Dempsey and Makepeace stood, emerging from the greenhouse and into the garden again.

"Here," Dempsey said, taking her hand, "we should stay by the hedge in case we're spotted." Makepeace followed him as he walked next to the hedge which edged one side of the garden.

"How prey tell is the hedge going to hide us?" she asked.

"What, you never hidden in a hedge before?" She gave him a look of disbelief and decided not to answer the question. "Well here's your chance to try it," he said with anxiety in his voice. "She's comin' back." He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the greenery but she gasped with shock when she felt the ground disappear beneath her feet as they both fell into a hidden trench which ran underneath the length of the hedge. Makepeace hit the ground with a thud and Dempsey fell unceremoniously on top of her.

"Shh," he said, freezing and listening for evidence that they had been discovered. After a while it became evident that the couple were unaware of their presence in the garden and they could only hear the distant voices of the man and woman again who were presumably in the process of reconciliation.

Makepeace sighed and looked warily up into the face of an amused Dempsey. "If I didn't know better I would have said that you planned this whole thing."

His face broke into a smile. "Couldn't have turned out better if I'd have planned it all myself," he chuckled, looking down at their entwined bodies laid out amongst the leaves. His eyes moved slowly back to hers and the way he was looking at her sent warning signals through her head. It wasn't long before his gaze moved to her lips and she suddenly found her voice then. "You're squashing me, I'll get on top."

He grinned, watching her slide from underneath him in order to wriggle on top and revelling in the sensation as the curves of her body moved against his. "Okay, if the lady prefers to be on top I'm always willing to please."

She growled at him. "You're enjoying this aren't you?"

"Every minute of it," he smiled, placing his hand on her lower back and contemplating letting it wander.

She read his mind and gave him a warning look. "Behave yourself Dempsey!"

"Whatever happened to the impetuous Harry I saw yesterday?" he said wistfully.

"She came to her senses!" she replied. He looked disappointed with her answer and she sighed. "Dempsey, we're working. We can't continue like this at work. We're trying to uncover corruption in the British Government! Do you realize the magnitude of this case? It's big, really big!"

His face broke into a huge grin and he lifted his eyebrows suggestively. "Oh yeah, it's big alright!" She closed her eyes in disbelief at the apparent Freudian slip that had just come out of her mouth. Dropping her head on his shoulder she couldn't help but laugh at the innuendo. He laughed with her, running his hands up her back and taking advantage of the break in her resolve.

"Okay, I could have phrased that better," she chuckled.

"Oh no, I think that you summed the situation up perfectly," he replied, turning his head to nuzzle her neck. She closed her eyes, trying not to react.

"Come on," she appealed, "you heard what Spikings said, keep your mind on the job."

"I can't help it! It's all your fault."

"My fault," she whispered as the voices appeared to get louder, "why is it my fault?"

"Because it's bad enough having you around me all the time, dressing like you do an' all..." he said into her ear.

"Hold on," she interrupted, "I don't dress provocatively!"

"Shh," he said, putting a finger to her lips and talking in a hushed voice. "Not exactly, but the way you dress...I don't know, it kinda turns me on even more," he admitted. "I'm constantly wondering what's underneath!"

She bit her lip. "Well... that's honest I suppose."

"Hey, you asked!" he came back defensively.

"Okay, you were saying," she whispered despite herself, intrigued to find out more.

"Yeah well, that's bad enough but after yesterday...I got a glimpse of the Harry who let's herself go, gives in to temptation. And boy did you give in to it!" he exclaimed.

She thought for a moment. "I know, but I'm not sure that we should just fall into things like this, there are other considerations to take into account in our situation."

"I know...I've considered them...again and again...pretty much since we first started working together. But here's the thing," he whispered, tugging gently at her earlobe with his teeth and making her inhale suddenly as she began tingling all over, "this never seems to get any easier...in fact, it's gettin' a hell of a lot worse!"

She tensed with the effort not to throw caution to the wind and he watched her tormented face, taking it in his hand and forcing her to look at him.

"Why don't you just let it happen Harry? Stop tryin' to fight this cause it won't work. I know, I've tried!"

As she gazed down at him she had the feeling that she was on the edge of something, that whatever she said or did next would change things between them in a way that would make it impossible to return to how things were. The feeling filled her with anxiety and she lay there motionless as he searched her face and waited for her to respond. She felt trapped and pressured and full of uncertainties until she suddenly broke the tension in the only way she knew how.

"I can't hear voices anymore, we should go."

"Harry," he sighed. "C'mon Harry, meet me halfway at least. Say you'll let me take you out on a date."

"What to save me from hitting the bottle?" she quoted him.

He looked sheepish. "No, to save me from another night sat at home alone thinkin' about you."

She couldn't help but feel touched by his words and she gave him a small smile. "Okay, let's go on a date then."

His face lit up. "Alright!"

"Now we have to go," she said, sliding off him and struggling to a sitting position.

He sat up suddenly, joining her. "Hey, are we talking about a date date, a real date?"

"Yes Dempsey," she said, brushing the dust from off her clothes, "I know what a date is."

His smile broadened; and he was further rewarded by the view he had of her climbing out of the trench.

They managed to successfully make it back to the car without further incident although Dempsey was sure that he saw the face of the housekeeper watching them from out of the window for a second.

"So Harry," Dempsey began, throwing his arm over her shoulder as they approached the car, "what's your policy when it comes to the end of the date?"

She turned to face him and her eyes narrowed on a point somewhere near his left shoulder.

"You're just going to have to wait to find out," she said, brushing away some dried leaves from the back of his shirt and strolling to the other side of the car.


	4. Chapter 4

"Anything to report?" Spikings asked as Dempsey and Makepeace met him in the corridor.

"Sorry sir but the Goldings were apparently out when we got there," Makepeace replied.

Spikings looked unconvinced. "I see. So they don't want to answer any questions then."

Makepeace shook her head.

"We'll just keep onto them until they do. They aint avoiding us for long," Dempsey assured him.

"We left the contact number with the housekeeper. She said that they would be in touch with us," Makepeace added.

Spikings nodded. "Keep the pressure on them."

"Boss," Dempsey said as Spikings went to move away, "what do we know about the other people who live in the house? Relatives, visitors?"

"I'll give you all the information I have, why?" He looked intrigued.

"There was an American woman there, and another guy. I was just wonderin' who they were."

"I don't know but if it gives us more insight, find out," he said, turning to walk away again but stopping momentarily before he did so. "Oh, by the way you two have a visitor," he grinned. Dempsey and Makepeace looked puzzled. "She's waiting in my office. Shall we go?" They followed Spikings in bewilderment.

"Hey boss, it aint my mother is it?" Dempsey laughed.

"No. Missing home Dempsey?" Spikings replied.

"Nah, just no other women I can think of. I lead a sheltered life," he said turning to Makepeace.

"Hmm, really."

oxoxoxoxo

"Dr Hudson, meet Lieutenant Dempsey and Sergeant Makepeace," Spikings said as they entered his office. A woman with sharp features, scraped back hair and glasses rose from the office chair to shake their hands. Dempsey frowned and turned his head to Makepeace who was behind him.

"Doctor?" he said under his breath as he shook the woman's hand.

"Doctor Hudson is here to carry out a psychological assessment," Spikings began, trying not to laugh as he uttered the words. "Orders from up there." Both Dempsey and Makepeace looked horrified.

"Come back mum!" Dempsey groaned.

"I won't take up much of your time," the woman smiled, "I need to begin with a short discussion between the three of us and then I'll finish by asking you each a few questions separately."

"Err, sir, do you think we could have a word," Makepeace said, walking towards the office door. Spikings nodded and followed her out of the room, closely followed by Dempsey.

"Chief, this has gotta be some kinda sick joke!" Dempsey said as soon as they were out of the office.

"No, apparently your conduct yesterday when you both ignored orders and re-entered the building did not go unnoticed and Dr Hudson in there is the result," Spikings informed them.

"You gotta be kiddin' me!" Dempsey exclaimed, running a hand through his hair.

"Sir, is this entirely necessary?" Makepeace added.

"Unfortunately yes."

"But we got work to do," Dempsey stressed as an excuse, "Government corruption to uncover. We aint got time for no psychological assessment."

"That is precisely why I have insisted that the doctor carries out the assessment here today rather than in her office. As a result you two will be around if you are needed."

"Today!" Dempsey looked panicked. "What, we don't get no time to prepare, plan our answers, collaborate?"

Spikings sighed. "Just answer the nice lady's questions Dempsey and then we can all get back to work."

"Sir," Makepeace cut in, "is there any chance at all of postponing, delaying or cancelling this altogether?" she asked with little hope of an affirmative. Spikings shook his head. "Didn't think so." She looked at Dempsey and shrugged.

"Yeah but we gotta find out more about the American broad and the tall guy," Dempsey said in desperation. "There's somthin' goin' on there boss, it could be a lead."

"Err, excuse me," Dr Hudson interrupted, startling Dempsey and Makepeace as she appeared behind them. "I couldn't help but overhearing that you have some things that need to be taken care of and I haven't eaten today as of yet so may I suggest that I leave you to your work for now and return after lunch, say twoish?"

Spikings glanced at Dempsey who was shaking his head vigorously at him. "Yes, that will be fine," Spikings confirmed.


	5. Chapter 5

"You find anything on that American broad yet?" Dempsey asked Makepeace, throwing the file in his hand down on the desk in front of him. Makepeace was scrutinizing a file of her own.

"Wait," she said, holding up her hand while she finished reading the details on the sheet of paper which had attracted her attention. Dempsey strummed his fingers on the desk impatiently.

"Well you got somethin' there or not then?" he snapped. She sighed and slowly placed the page down, looking up at him with a smile.

"A little patience goes a long way Dempsey," she chided.

He leant forward to grab the sheet of paper. "Yeah well some gals make a man wait an eternity."

"And some things just may be worth waiting for," she said, snatching up the piece of paper before him. "As it happens I did find something. She's Mr Golding's daughter in law, married to Mr Edward Golding."

"Ah, so he has a son," he said thoughtfully. She nodded. "You got anything else on her…or him?"

"Nothing on her I'm afraid but it seems that he is suspected of dealing in narcotics." Dempsey lifted an eyebrow. "No action has been taken against him though."

"Nah, and nobody seems to have anything that will stick on Mr and Mrs Golding either. He's one of those slippery types aint he, Mr Golding, a guy that no one can get their hands on," he said, closing his hand on an imaginary object and thumping a fist down on the desk. "What about the other guy? The one who's playin' away with Golding's daughter in law? You got anything' there on him?"

She shook her head. "Nope." He leant forward and grabbed the remainder of the file from in front of her.

"Well, I'm gonna see what I can find that guy," he said, moving away from his desk. She tutted and reached for the file that he had left her with.

An hour later Dempsey gave up at the computer and growled with frustration, moving to pour himself a coffee.

Makepeace came up behind him. "So…I'm assuming from the look on your face that you weren't entirely successful." Dempsey put the mug he was holding down on the table top and began to fill another mug for her.

"Not entirely. But I got a hunch that he's workin' for Golding. Why else would he be there? And the way he was dressed…" he petered out.

"You think that the man is in politics?" She sounded unconvinced.

"Nah, he doesn't look the type, but…" He sighed and ran a hand over his face. "We gotta get into that house again," he said suddenly, digressing. He glanced at his watch. "You think we've waited long enough yet to pay them another visit?"

She shook her head. "No Dempsey, and besides," she said, gesturing with her eyes towards the door as Dr Hudson returned from her lunch. Dempsey groaned but then smiled as an idea came to him. He sidled up to Makepeace who was leant against a desk, putting an arm around her shoulder.

"Harry."

"Hmm," she said with suspicion, looking down at the hand on her shoulder.

"Did I forget to tell you about the phone call I had just now?" he asked.

She folded her arms. "No Dempsey, you didn't tell me about a phone call you had just now."

"Well, it seems that Mr and Mrs Golding have returned and are waiting to answer our questions. We can't keep them waiting now can we?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Dempsey even if we manage to get out of here without encountering the wrath of Spikings we're going to have to go through with this assessment in the end." He turned and narrowed his eyes at the doctor who was in conversation with Spikings in his office. "Hey Harry," he began, turning back and looking down at her, "how long you get for homicide in this country?"

She smiled. "Well, if you're careful enough you could just get away with it."

"Yeah, like a quick nudge and oops, she's outta the window," he grinned.

Makepeace shook her head. "Too messy."

"Okay, how about," he held up his hands as if to strangle somebody.

She shook her head again. "Hand imprints." She thought for a moment. "No, but I bet there's a devious little poison out there these days that would be completely undetectable in an autopsy."

He looked impressed for a moment before his eyes widened. "Hell, I aint getting' on the wrong side of you Harry!"

She grinned. "More coffee?"

"No thanks, I think I'll pour it myself!"


	6. Chapter 6

Dempsey and Makepeace sat at Spikings's desk and faced Dr Hudson anxiously.

"So," she began, looking from one to the other, "how would you sum up your working relationship?" They exchanged looks and Dempsey urged Makepeace to speak first with a head gesture.

"Err, sum up?" Makepeace questioned.

"Yes, would you say that you had a good working relationship?"

Makepeace wracked her brain to come up with an answer. "Erm yes…I'd say we had a normal working relationship anyway."

"Normal?" the doctor was quick to respond.

"Well, we have our ups and downs like everyone else," she said defensively.

"I see." The doctor jotted something down on her notepad. "And how do you work through these 'ups and downs?'"

Makepeace thought for a moment. "We have the occasional cross words but we work together in the end to get results… for the case."

"Okay, so it's usually commitment to your job that mends any rifts between you then?" she asked. They both nodded and the doctor's attention was drawn to Dempsey who had so far remained silent. "And do you share the work equally between you?" She addressed her question this time to Dempsey.

He gave a nervous laugh. "Sure, we both share the leg work," he said, instinctively glancing down at Makepeace's legs. The doctor watched him closely and looked intrigued with his reaction to her question. "That's interesting lieutenant, there appeared to be an innuendo behind your reply. Were you aware of this?" Dempsey looked like a cat caught in the headlights and Makepeace gave him a warning look. The doctor observed the interaction between them both.

"There seems to be some tension between you two in this respect. Does Lieutenant Dempsey make you feel uneasy with such comments?" she asked Makepeace.

"I know him well enough now, it's just his way," she replied, shrugging the matter off.

"Hmm," the doctor wasn't convinced. "In my experience there is always a reason behind people's comments and actions. Let me be blunt," she began, crossing her legs and leaning towards them. "I would say that there was physical attraction somewhere here, in the lieutenant's case at least. Would you say that was a fair comment Lieutenant?" Two pair of female eyes seemed to bear into him.

He frowned. "Well…hey she aint exactly ugly. A guy's gotta be blind not to notice her," he came back.

"And is this physical attraction a mutual thing?" she asked Makepeace.

Makepeace's eyes widened at the question. "I'm sorry Dr Hudson but I fail to see what this has to do with work." The doctor contemplated Makepeace for a moment. "Any kind of tension such as this can have a profound effect on two people's working relationship," she explained. "I must say you now have me wondering about your reluctance to answer the question."

_My god she's ruthless!_

Makepeace struggled to come up with a response and settled for the most non committal answer she could think of. "Sometimes the lieutenant and I are thrown into situations, you know undercover operations, in which we are forced to role play relationships which may bring to mind a physical attraction."

"Ah, I see. So you find it easier to accept the attraction between you both in a role play situation," she summed up.

_Talk about putting words into my mouth!_

The room went silent as the doctor waited for Makepeace's confirmation. She turned to Dempsey for help but only found him watching her intently, making her feel even more on edge.

"Well I suppose so," she came out with reluctantly, "but it's important to me to remain professional at work and any role play situations are just that, role play."

"Hmm, I imagine that you feel the need to keep things strictly professional between you both to uphold your own integrity in a male dominated workplace," she put to Makepeace.

"Yes," Makpeace confirmed, with a feeling nontheless that whatever the doctor forced her to admit to was going to be used against her in the long run.

The doctor turned to Dempsey. "And this must be a little frustrating for you then Lieutenant. I mean, one minute she is open to your advances and the next she reverts to a platonic relationship."

He swung his head to the doctor. "Err, I guess…sometimes."

_Damn right it is! Frustrating aint the word!_

"Of course, then that would explain the clashes between you. With all that hidden tension it would naturally manifest itself in other ways," she concluded.

"Now hang on a minute," Makepeace interrupted. "You're making it sound as if we are at each other's throats day and night, we're not. We've managed to work things out between us for a long time now and we work extremely well together."

_Way'da'go Harry!_

"Hmm, well that's an idealised view of the situation and not entirely true now is it Sergeant?"

_Oops, that aint sounding good._

Makepeace waited anxiously for the doctor to expand on her comment.

"I believe it was only a couple of months ago when you handed in your resignation because of tensions between yourself and Lieutenant Dempsey, is that not right Sergeant?" Makepeace's heart began to thud as she felt a real sense of panic rise in her then. Her eyes fell to the floor and Dempsey looked at her with concern.

"Yes, that's right," she said in a small voice.

"So here's what confuses me now. You were very adamant earlier that altercations between you both were always put aside for the commitment you have to your job. And yet it is my understanding that you handed in your resignation in the middle of a case you were both working on. However if what you said earlier was true then I can only assume that your resignation had nothing to do with work issues. Can you explain to me what in fact did prompt you to resign then Sergeant?"

Makepeace clenched the arms of the chair and tried to stay calm. She took a deep breath and looked up to respond, hesitating for a moment before speaking.

"It happened at a time when I had just witnessed my partner in a near death situation. At the time I wasn't able to face that happening again," she said honestly.

The doctor thought for a while. "So the feelings that you have for the Lieutenant are such that you would have given up the job that you obviously value so much rather than see him hurt again."

Dempsey turned from the doctor to Makepeace to search her anguished face.

"Well he's my partner for god sake!" she came out with a little more harshly than she had intended. "Of course I don't want to see him dead!"

The doctor wasn't fazed by her outburst; she simply smiled and continued. "Understandable, however you have worked with many other 'partners,' she emphasised the word, "even one whom I believe is now deceased, and yet not once have you resigned from The Force previous to working with Lieutenant Dempsey."

Makepeace began to feel the pressure build unbearably until Dempsey spoke up.

He cleared his throat. "Aint you got any questions for me yet?" The doctor swung her head to Dempsey and a sudden look of apprehension was clearly visable on his face.

"Yes I'm sorry Lieutenant, I seem to have got sidetracked," she smiled, focusing her attention on him. "So tell me, how do you feel about working with a woman?" Makepeace sighed with relief but reached out surreptitiously under the desk to put a reassuring hand on his leg.


	7. Chapter 7

Dempsey felt Makepeace's hand on his leg and his heart jolted with excitement. He tried to recall a time when she had touched him as intimately as that but he couldn't think of one. He realised that she was simply doing it to offer her support and it was the only way she could do that without the doctor noticing, however it didn't make any difference to him, he thrilled in the physical contact.

"Lieutenant?" The doctor was waiting for a reply. He wasn't ready with an answer. "How do you feel working with a woman?" she repeated.

"Err, well…it's different," he settled for.

"Different in what way?" the doctor asked.

_Ah hell, how am I gonna answer this?_

"Well you know Harry, you see, Harry…"he began in a stutter, "…she sometimes puts herself into extra danger 'cause she wants to prove that she can do the job as good as the rest of us," he avoided eye contact with Makepeace, who was glaring at him, and continued. "But what she don't get is that it's natural for a guy to want to protect a woman more." He looked across at her then and shrugged. She didn't look impressed. "But don't get me wrong," he added quickly, "she does her job great, almost as good as me," he couldn't resist saying. Makepeace narrowed her eyes at him. "If she didn't I sure as hell wouldn't still be workin' with her!"

"Could that be the reason why you re-entered the building yesterday to search for her, not because you thought she was incompetent, but because you felt the need to protect her as a man protects a woman?" the doctor put to him.

"Well yeah, I guess."

"And we're back to the male, female relationship again. You seem to have an emotional attachment to the Sergeant that goes beyond concern for a work colleague," she observed.

The anxiety was back in his face as he considered how to talk his way out of the implications in the doctor's words. "Well we gotta look out for each other, if we didn't one or both of us wouldn't be sittin' here now!"

_He's sidestepping the issue. Still not got enough for Mr Golding's needs._

"It is my understanding that you also resigned from the force whilst working with the Sergeant. Could you explain to me what prompted that resignation?" the doctor asked.

"Err, we argued," he gave a small laugh, "In fact we argued a hell of a lot and…well, it was so frustrating…I just couldn't do it no more!"

"Frustrating. Interesting choice of words." The doctor looked thoughtful. "I did warn you that it's most likely the frustrations between the two of you that causes all the conflicts in the first place." Dempsey played back in his mind what he had just said to see if he had come out with more than he had intended to.

"I didn't mean _that _kinda frustrations. I meant that she was drivin' me crazy with all the arguing," he explained.

"It's the same thing lieutenant, as I said, the conflicts that arise are a direct result of the underlying frustrations you feel working with a woman that you are attracted to," she replied with a little impatience.

_Will you give me a break!_

Dempsey ran a hand over his face and turned to see what Makepeace was making of all of this. Makepeace rolled her eyes.

_Ah, she don't believe that anyway. Thank god!_

"So why did you return to work then?" the doctor continued, catching Dempsey off guard yet again.

"I found the…" Dempsey began without thinking, stopping suddenly when he realised what he was about to say. He risked a look at Makepeace to see her grinning smugly at him. "Turns out she needed me. Couldn't do without me," he said, grinning back at her. She tutted and looked away.

"Okay so the point at which you decided to return to your job here was a pivotal point in your relationship then. I mean, you decided that you wanted to work with the Sergeant despite all the frustrations we spoke about earlier and the fact that she had made it blatantly clear that anything other than a professional relationship between the two of you was not acceptable to her. You left because of the frustrations you felt and yet you returned with those same frustrations because she 'needed' you. Do you not think Lieutenant that what began as a physical attraction was developing at that stage into something more?"

_If he admits to this then I have enough to take back to Mr Golding._

Dempsey began to feel the palms of his hands sweating. He laughed nervously. "Not exactly but hey, I figured that if I came back I might get lucky."

_Damn, that came out wrong!_

_I'm not listening to this! I've had enough!_

"Excuse me," Makepeace began, addressing the doctor with barely concealed anger, "Perhaps we could resume this another day, I'm going to need a word with my colleague here," she said, throwing Dempsey a fiery look as she rose from her seat. "It's work related." Makepeace's expression dared the doctor to say another word. The doctor conceded and watched as she exited the office in a few quick strides, followed by a sheepish looking Dempsey.

As soon as they were out of the office Dempsey turned to talk to Makepeace, only to be nudged aside as she continued walking straight past him.

"I need some air," she grated out before disappearing from view.

Dempsey stood in the office for a while looking slightly lost until he noticed the other office workers watching him with interest, at which point he strode towards the exit after Makepeace. He emerged into the sunshine and scanned the car park for evidence of her, jumping slightly when he realised that she was standing only yards away from him, leaning back against the wall of the building.

"You okay?" he asked, tentatively moving towards her.

"Fine," she shrugged, staring blindly into the distance.

"You don't look fine," he said, leaning against the wall with one hand and assessing the look on her face.

"Was there something you wanted Lieutenant?"

"C'mon Harry, what's up?" he asked.

"What's up?" she repeated incredulously. "So, you thought you'd get lucky then? Well, there has to be some perks for working with a female cop, right?" she scowled, grating her teeth with anger.

"Ah, c'mon Harry, you know I didn't mean that. It was that psycho shrink woman in there. There should be laws to stop people like that!" he replied with rising anger himself. "She kept pushin' and pushin', the damn woman should be certified!"

She tutted and then swung her head to him with renewed hostility. "What the hell was all that bloody rubbish about a man having to protect a woman then? And by the way, I don't need you to tell anyone that I do my job well! You had those keys all along, of course I knew that anyway but… you know what your problem is Lieutenant? You're reduced to sexist little quips because you can't face the fact that a woman can do this job better than you can!"

He laughed angrily. "Oh don't kid yourself Sergeant, I only said that to keep the peace. You aint even in my league babe. It aint my fault that you don't like the truth! Face it Harry, when things get rough you need me to come rescue you. Why else did you leave that message for me?"

Her mouth fell open then in disbelief. "_You_ rescue _me_! If I remember rightly I saved your bacon the very first case we worked on. And for your information," she continued, pointing an accusatory finger in his face, "I never did and never will ask you to come rescue me! The message was that I didn't need your help, _are you getting the message now Lieutenant?"_ she shouted, moving around him and marching towards the car for fear that she might cause him bodily injury if she had to face him any longer.

"You left because you couldn't hack this job anymore," he yelled after her, determined to get the last word in, "women, emotions and police work don't mix!"

She turned on her heel then to face him. "You arrogant bastard! I left because I couldn't stand working with a pig headed, male chauvinist reject from The Bronx!" she shouted across the car park.

He stormed towards her. "Listen sweetheart, it aint exactly a picnic in the park workin' with an uptight, toffee nosed, aristocratic, lady…whatever your name is… like you!"

She gave a short burst of mocking laughter. "Lady Harriet, Alexander, Charlotte if you don't mind Lieutenant!"

He tried to hide the smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth but failed. "Well lady Harriet if it's not too much trouble, would you mind awfully if we continued this fascinating discussion another time, Spikings is undoubtedly waiting for us inside," he said, putting an arm around her waist and gesturing towards the entrance of SI10.

"Fine," she said, moving with him but glancing down at his hand on her waist, "as long as you wouldn't mind keeping your 'frustrations' in check for the remainder of the day lieutenant."

He smiled politely at her. "I will try my very best Sergeant." Taking his hand off her waist, he moved to throw an arm over her shoulder instead. "Harry."

"Hmm," she replied, glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes.

"I don't suppose this would be a good time to reconfirm our date tonight?"

She turned her head slowly to him with a look of disbelief.

"Nah, didn't think so. We'll talk about it later."


	8. Chapter 8

When they re-entered the office the doctor had mysteriously disappeared, leaving a message for them that she would return the following day for the individual assessments. Dempsey had made a comment, saying something about what she could do with her individual assessments, and then he had turned to Spikings to inform him that they were going to visit the Goldings again.

On reaching the mansion however, once more the housekeeper politely invited them in but informed them that the Goldings were not there.

"I'm terribly sorry but the Goldings have gone away for a couple of days," she apologised. Dempsey and Makepeace hovered in the entrance hall, waiting for the housekeeper to explain their absence.

"Do you think we might have a contact number for them?" Makpeace asked, after a short silence.

The housekeeper hesitated for a moment but then nodded. "I'll be back in a moment."

She disappeared down the hallway and Dempsey took the opportunity to assess the surroundings again. Nothing seemed to catch his interest until he noticed a telephone table underneath one of the front windows. Moving towards it he subtly slid open the drawer and glanced down at the papers inside, pausing for a moment when something caught his eye. He picked up a small object with two fingers and discretely slipped it into his trouser pocket, abruptly returning to Makepeace's side when he heard the housekeeper's footsteps on the hardwood floor again.

"Here," she said, passing them a card with a contact number written on it, "You should be able to reach them on this number." Makepeace thanked the lady and they left.

Once in the car, Dempsey reached into his pocket to pull out the object he had smuggled out of the house.

"What is that?" Makepeace asked.

Dempsey held up a book of matches, reading the writing on the front of it. "Eden Lakeside Hotel, Country Club and Golf Course."

"Is that where the Goldings are do you think?" Makepeace questioned.

"What's the number on there?" he asked, glancing at the card in Makepeace's hand.

They compared telephone numbers on the card that the housekeeper had given them and the book of matches, but the numbers didn't seem to correspond.

"I think we should check this place out," he informed Makepeace.

Makepeace sighed. "Is this going to be another wild goose chase based on one of your hunches Dempsey? Or do you actually have anything specific in mind that you think we should be looking for?"

"Trust me, the nose knows," he replied, starting the car up and speeding out of the driveway.

They found the hotel and country club with surprising ease as it was situated only a few miles away from the Goldings's residence. The gravel driveway led from the car park at the front of the hotel, around the building to the extensive grounds and golf course at the rear. Dempsey suggested, more out of curiosity than anything else, that they follow a group of people who were heading for the gardens at the back. They ascended some steps which rose up to a large terraced area overlooking the entire complex. There was a row of white, wrought iron tables running along the length of the terrace and the diners there had a fantastic view across the rolling hills in the distance and the picturesque lake which dominated a fair amount of the view.

Makepeace was just about to reach into her handbag for her sunglasses to filter out the intensity of the sun when Dempsey suddenly backed into her, nudging her backwards and pulling her towards the sliding patio doors which led into the interior restaurant area.

"What on earth are you doing?" she asked. One of the waiters watched them with curiosity as Dempsey ushered Makepeace through the restaurant to a corridor at the other side.

"I knew it! What did I tell ya? They're in there," he exclaimed, moving them away from the doorway to avoid drawing any more attention to their presence.

"Who, the Goldings?"

"No, the tall guy and the broad. They're having lunch outside. We gotta get closer to them so that we can hear what they're talking about," he replied with determination.

"Why did you drag us back through here then?" she said, moving to glance through the door of the restaurant.

He pulled her back into the shadows. "The woman has already seen us at the house remember, we don't wanna make 'em clam up."

"How do you propose we get back onto the terrace without being spotted then Sherlock?"

"We're just gonna have to be discrete and cover up a bit," he announced, glancing around the corridor for inspiration.

"Cover up?" she frowned.

"Yeah," he said, reaching for some garments that were hanging on a set of coat hooks in the hallway. "Take this and this and go disguise yourself. I'll meet you back out here in five minutes." Dempsey snatched a couple of garments for himself and disappeared into the men's toilets, leaving Makepeace staring at the items in her hands with bewilderment.

Five minutes later Makepeace hesitantly emerged from the ladies toilets, bumping into Dempsey as she nervously glanced around the corridor. Makepeace looked at Dempsey, Dempsey looked at Makepeace and both instantaneously burst into laughter at what they saw.

"What on earth are we doing?" Makepeace laughed, as she stood there dressed in an oversized beige raincoat, sunglasses and a rainhat. "I look like Inspector Clouseau and you look like Herman Munster in a hat! I thought the idea was _not_ to get noticed?"

Dempsey tried to stay serious and went to reply but couldn't stop bursting into laughter every time he looked at Makepeace. "Okay," he began, taking a deep breath to quell any more hilarity, "this is going to work Sergeant…you wanna know why?"

Makepeace grinned. "Do tell."

"Because they'll just think that we're a couple of those eccentric rich types that you get out here and well… let's face it we do look a bit crazy so I figure that everyone will avoid looking at us anyway."

"Dempsey it's thirty degrees out there and I look like I'm dressed for a severe downpour!" she pointed out, rolling up one of the sleeves that hung loosely past her hand. "Do you really expect me to go out there dressed like this?"

"Sure. Look, even I wouldn't recognise you," he chuckled.

She pulled down her sunglasses momentarily to speak to him. "You're insane, do you know that?" His gaze wandered over her face and he reached out to tuck a few stray strands of hair into her hat. Moving his head closer to hers he whispered, "You wanna know somethin'?"

"What," she whispered back.

"I could quite go for you in the Inspector Couseau look," he grinned.

"Shut up you idiot and get in there!" she exclaimed, pushing him away from her. Dempsey shrugged and popped his head around the restaurant door.

"Psst!" he said, drawing the attention of the restaurant manager and motioning for him to approach them. The man looked at him dubiously but joined them in the corridor nonetheless.

"Can I help you sir?" he asked, looking them up and down.

"Yeah," Dempsey began, reaching into his pocket and showing the man his badge, "we're in the middle of an investigation and we need to get closer to that couple sittin' on the terrace out there. If you could seat us behind them without them noticing us that'd be great."

The man looked intrigued. "How exciting. Have you travelled all the way from America for this sir?"

"Yeah, yeah that's right. And it's top secret so we gotta be careful," he warned.

"Oh, of course sir. Follow me," the man said, leading them through the restaurant to the patio doors and grabbing two large menus on the way.

The man successfully managed to seat Dempsey and Makepeace behind the young couple without them being seen as the couple were sat next to each other looking out across the lake. Dempsey grabbed the menus off the man, handing one to Makepeace and opening his to hide his face.

_This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever done! I'm sure he's enjoying every minute of this._

Makepeace opened her menu and leant towards Dempsey, whispering, "We're supposed to be professionals, I feel like I'm in a bloody spoof!"

"Ssh! I can't hear what they're sayin'," he replied, straining to hear their conversation.

"What are you trying to say Samantha?" the tall man asked nervously.

"I'm tryin' to say that I can't do this no more Jack. I can't guarantee your safety anymore and I just couldn't live with myself if you got hurt because of me."

"But you can't just give up on everything we have together. You must know how I feel about you by now, and I'm sure that you feel the same Samantha," Jack replied desperately.

"That aint the point babe. We can't carry on like this and you're gonna end up dead!" she said, putting her head in her hands.

"I won't give up on you Sam. I don't care what it takes. We'll go away somewhere; get away from all of this."

"Where? Where we gonna go? There's nowhere he won't find us. And what about my father? With Robert and my father on our back we don't stand a chance! No, it's best that we end it now before we get any more attached."

"But we already are attached!" Jack exclaimed. "I can't just leave it like this. I won't do it!"

Makepeace glanced at Dempsey and mouthed, "Who's the father?" Dempsey shrugged and moved his eyes away from Makepeace for a second to see a waiter, who was carrying a large tray of empty glasses, staring intently at them. The waiter moved past their table but kept his eyes on them as he moved across the terrace. Dempsey cringed when he realised seconds before what was going to happen. The waiter was so busy looking at them that he tripped over a chair leg, dropping the tray and reaching helplessly for the glasses as they slid one by one onto the floor. Makepeace instinctively bent down to catch an empty bottle of wine that rolled towards them, causing her hat to fall off her head and coming face to face with Golding's daughter in law in the process. There were a few tense seconds when Makepeace thought that they had been recognised before the woman sat back in her seat and turned again to speak to Jack.

"We'll talk about this later, let's just finish our meal," the woman urged him, emptying her wine glass and picking up her fork.

Dempsey and Makepeace waited for the couple to pick up on the conversation again however they seemed to resort to little more than chitchat for the rest of the meal before they paid and left.

"Do you think she recognised us?" Makepeace asked, lowering the menu as the couple exited the restaurant.

"Are you kiddin'? Looking like this, I don't think so," Dempsey laughed.

"There's obviously some connection between her father and the Goldings. It could be worth finding out what that is," Makepeace suggested. Dempsey was about to answer when the restaurant manager approached them.

"I have a message for you," he said, watching as both of them looked up at him in surprise. "The lady that just left here said to tell you that you can reach her on this number," he said, passing Makepeace a slip of paper, "and she asked that you speak to her before you approach her father. She said that you would know what she meant."

"Oh yes, thank you," Makepeace replied, a little embarrassed.

"Oh, and one more thing," the waiter added before he left, "the gentlemen over there commented that you never know when the weather is going to change and they suggested that you leave their overcoats on the pegs where you found them before you go."


	9. Chapter 9

Dempsey and Makepeace left the hotel sheepishly, thanking the restaurant manager on the way and making a speedy exit.

"Well, a good result all round. We'll phone Samantha whatever her name is and find out all there is to know about Golding," Dempsey said smugly.

"Hmm, think we could have done without all the cloak and dagger stuff," Makepeace replied, "we're lucky we didn't get reported for stealing someone else's property!"

"Ah c'mon Harry admit it, it took you back to the good old days when you were a kid and you just longed to play dress up and bust all the bad guys," Dempsey laughed.

"No Dempsey, I dreamt of being a movie star and being loved by millions, not disguising myself in an old mac and totally humiliating myself in public!"

"Well you'll always be a star to me Harry," he said, pulling out of the driveway and glancing sideways at her. "And that's another thing, since we've been partners for so long I guess I should know all these things about you… for work purposes," he added. "So, what do ya say we get together tonight and find out all the inside info on each other?"

Makepeace considered his proposition for a moment before replying. "All things considered, I think that it's best that we keep things as they are for now Dempsey. Let's report back to Spikings and try those phone numbers and then it's an early night for me," she replied, waiting for a reaction.

"No problem," he said, surprising her. Dempsey on the other hand was not at all surprised by her response but he was also not prepared to leave it at that. He decided to bide his time and he made no other reference to the long awaited date during the drive back to the office or during the time they spent trying unsuccessfully to contact the Goldings's daughter in law.

"So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then," Dempsey said as he dropped Makepeace off outside her house. "I don't think we'll have too much trouble getting' in touch with Samantha tomorrow since she doesn't seem to want us to talk to the Goldings first."

"No, we seem to have a good informant there," she admitted. "Well, see you tomorrow," she said, getting out of the car and feeling a little disappointed as she did so. She chastised herself for feeling like that and mentally planned out the evening ahead to fill the time.

As soon as she entered her house she put some easy listening music on the stereo and poured herself a glass of wine.

_I'll finish this and then I'll get some sleep._

After finishing the glass of wine however she looked at her watch and saw that it was still early. She wasn't at all sleepy so she went into the kitchen to cook herself something to eat. When she looked in the fridge though she saw nothing that tempted her to cook so she closed the door with a sigh and stood in the middle of the room, wondering what to do next.

_This is ridiculous! What did I used to do in the evenings? Used to do? Used to do before what? Before I got hung up on Dempsey? Before he started sending me stupid messages that I sat listening to over and over again! I hate you Dempsey! Do you hear me? You can go to hell!_

She stormed back into the lounge and picked up the telephone, punching in the number of a friend in the hope that they would be able to go out somewhere so that she could well and truly forget Dempsey, for one evening at least. The phone rang out however and the evening that she had planned didn't seem likely to happen.

_Damn!_

She replaced the receiver and stomped upstairs with another glass of wine, pulling on her pyjamas and getting into bed with a book that she had been meaning to read for months. She had only read through the first few pages though when she lowered the book as she thought she'd heard a sound outside her bedroom window. She listened for a while but heard nothing so she returned her attention to the book again. Minutes later however the sound was heard again, only this time it was louder, and she identified it as being some sort of object hitting the pane of glass. Throwing the bedclothes back, she got out of bed, opened the curtains and glanced out of the window to see Dempsey staring up at her.

"What _are_ you doing?" she asked, opening the window to speak to him.

"Hiya Harry. I gotta tell ya, you're my favourite movie star and… well I know that you're loved by millions an' all but it's your number one fan here. I was wonderin' if I could get an autograph."

"Dempsey, do you know what time it is?"

He looked at his watch with a frown. "Yeah, it's eight thirty. What you doin' in bed so early Harry?"

She hesitated. "Well…I was tired. Anyway, I told you I was having an early night."

"There's early nights and there's early nights but eight thirty? Don't you know there's a whole world of entertainment out here waitin' for you?" he hinted.

"Well it can wait as much as it likes, I'm going back to bed," she replied, moving to close the window.

"Harry, wait!" Dempsey shouted, prompting Makepeace to open the window again. "I came here for a reason, Spikings has been in touch."

"Oh good lord! What now?" she said with exasperation.

"Let me in will ya? We gotta talk," he said, moving up the front steps towards her door.

She sighed, closed the window and stomped back down the stairs to open the door for him.

When he caught sight of her in her pyjamas he grinned. "Hey, you can't go to bed now anyway, you ain't said goodnight to your car yet."

"Very funny…anyway, how do you know I haven't…" she faded out as his grin widened.

"So you have said good night to it! It's a regular thing then," he chuckled.

"No it's not, I was just saying…oh never mind, what the hell do you want?" she finished with annoyance.

"Samantha telephoned. She wants us to meet her back at the country club tonight," he informed her.

"Tonight! But, but…" she stuttered.

Dempsey put an arm around her shoulder and moved them both inside the house, shutting the door behind him. "Listen, you get together a couple of white mice, a pumpkin and a lizard and I promise to get you home before midnight Harry. Now I can't say fairer than that, can I?"

"You're full of yourself tonight aren't you Lieutenant?" she said, moving away from his arm and heading up the stairs to change. "And by the way, it wasn't a lizard, it was a rat," she added over her shoulder. "You should know all about those Dempsey."


	10. Chapter 10

**I uploaded another chapter before this one today.**

Makepeace descended the stairs dressed in a straight cream skirt and a filmy blue and cream flowered blouse. The evening was almost as warm as the day had been and she looked both cool and summery in the outfit. Dempsey was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs and he smiled at her as she approached him.

She watched him warily. "What are you so happy about?"

"Nothin', it's just a nice evening to be out," he replied, following her to the door.

"It's work Dempsey, remember that," she said, opening the door for them.

They arrived at the hotel and country club at ten o clock but the hotel seemed to be a lot less busy than it had been earlier. The restaurant manager met them at the door of the restaurant and asked for them to follow him.

"How does he know they are here waiting for us?" she asked Dempsey suspiciously.

Dempsey simply shrugged and slipped through the patio doors onto the terrace after the manager. Makepeace was surprised to see that they seemed to be the only people on the terrace and she turned with a frown to watch as Dempsey motioned for the manager to leave them.

"What's going on?" she said, noticing that there was only one table on the terrace that was set for dinner. The table had been laid with a white tablecloth, silver cutlery and a single red rose in the centre.

"Where are Samantha and Jack Dempsey?" she asked, folding her arms crossly in front of her.

"Well you know, I think…" he began, taking her by the arm and urging her to sit at the table. She snatched her arm away and stood stubbornly on the spot. "I think that we must have missed them," he finished.

"Really? You know what I think Dempsey? I think that you're press-ganging me into a date with you!" she growled.

"I'm doin' what?" he chuckled.

"Kidnapping me! Abducting me, call it what you will. Do you think I was born yesterday?" she exclaimed.

"No, I was with you all day yesterday," he joked. Taking her by the hand, he attempted to seat her again but she refused to move.

"I thought we agreed that we weren't going to date," she accused him as he took a seat at the table and proceeded to pour two glasses of wine from a bottle that was chilling in an ice bucket.

"I don't remember agreeing to that. Besides, it's not a date exactly," he said, trying to appease her.

"Hmm, what is it then?" she came back, putting her hands on her hips.

"Err, well…it's a pre date," he announced.

"A what?" she frowned.

"Yeah, it's a date before a date. Not really a date at all. And if you don't like it you don't even have to go on the proper date," he smiled.

"You just made that up!"

"No I didn't. It's a New York thing. Everyone goes on a pre date first there," he said, trying not to laugh.

She tutted. "You talk such a load of rubbish you're going to find yourself taken out in the morning!"

"Harry come on, sit down. You're causing a commotion in the dining room in there," he said, glancing through the patio doors. She followed his gaze and noticed a group of waiters stood looking out of the window at them.

"Fine," she began, eventually taking a seat opposite him, "but this is not a date. If I don't agree that it's a date then it isn't, okay?"

He held up his hands in surrender. "Okay!"

A waiter hesitantly emerged from the restaurant moments later and handed them a menu each. Dempsey took his menu and opened it up in front of his face, hiding momentarily behind it.

"Is it safe to come out yet?" he asked, peering over the top at her.

Much to her annoyance she could feel laughter building up inside of her then. "This is not funny," she replied, contradicting herself by laughing as she spoke.

"It is just a little bit funny," he grinned, passing her a glass of wine.

She took the glass and sipped the contents, trying as hard as she could to give him a disapproving look.

The waiter returned to take their order and left them alone to enjoy their wine.

"The view's not bad here," Dempsey commented, looking out across the lake. The grounds were subtly lit up with some well-positioned lights which sparkled in the distance and lit up the water in the foreground. A lone duck entered the lake and paddled out across its surface, sending ripples across the water in its wake.

"It's very peaceful here," she smiled.

"There's somethin' about looking out across the water that can't be beat. Why is that?" he asked, turning his attention back to her.

"I don't know, but I know what you mean," she replied, gazing back at the view. There was a short silence then before she turned her head to look at him again.

"For what it's worth, and don't go getting bigheaded about this," she emphasised, "it was a good choice to seat us out here."

His face lit up with a smile. "Well you know, first dates, I mean pre dates," he corrected, "can be a bit tricky. You never know if you're gonna get everythin' right. But I figure I've got a head start with you 'cause I know you already."

"You don't know everything about me Dempsey," she said with a guarded expression.

"True, but that's why I brought us here, so that I can get to know everythin'." She thought about what he'd said for a while before taking another sip of her wine. "So I guess that you were brought up in places like these," he said, breaking the silence.

"Yes, I spent a lot of my time in the countryside," she admitted.

"It's hard to imagine that, growing up in New York I mean."

"Yes, I can imagine but you know I always had a fascination for the city. I used to look out across the lights in the distance," she said, instinctively returning her gaze to the lights in the gardens, "and I wanted to be out there. Where everything was happening," she laughed, feeling slightly embarrassed about sharing that with him. His eyes softened as they moved over the profile of her averted face. "You know New York aint that different from London really." Makepeace turned to him in surprise. "Well, in some ways it is, but in other ways…I don't know, it has a similar feel about it."

"Not missing home then Dempsey?" she asked with a grin.

"You know what," he replied, grinning back, "at this moment, no, not at all." His eyes clung to hers and only moved away from her when the waiter returned with their first course.

"Did you visit London much when you were a kid?" Dempsey asked when the waiter had disappeared back into the restaurant.

"Not much," she replied, "but I did have a rather fantastic aunt who used to take me there sometimes. We would go to stay in one of the big hotels and she would take me out in the evening, allow me to drink champagne with her and stay up late with all her friends. I thought I was really grown up," she laughed.

He smiled, trying to picture it. "I had an uncle like that. Only he introduced me to the pleasures of a good cognac and a cigar. Gave me a few good tips on how to win over a woman too," he added boldly.

"And did they work?"

"I'll let you know," he grinned. She raised an eyebrow and returned to her food, unable to stop the smile that spread across her face as she glanced down. He watched her and his grin grew.

The main course came and they spent most of it sharing stories and anecdotes from their past. Makepeace was surprised to find that despite their differing upbringings they had a considerable amount in common. They fell into easy conversation and Dempsey was engaging and entertaining as well as being attentive to her replies. Although the food was delicious, Makepeace seemed to taste little of it as she found herself taking more pleasure out of the conversations between herself and Dempsey. Finally desert was brought to them and Makepeace had to admit to herself that the evening had turned out considerably more enjoyable than she had anticipated.

"We're on dessert already," Dempsey observed, "and I still have a whole bunch of questions I'd planned on asking you."

"Planned?" she smiled.

"Yeah, you know the usual questions you should ask on a…pre date."

She chuckled. "Go on then, ask away."

"What's your favourite food?"

"Err, apple pie and custard, oh and I am a little partial to a bit of chocolate every now and then," she replied.

"Yeah? Home cooked comfort food then."

"You sound surprised," she pointed out. "Did you think I was going to say caviar and lobster or something?"

"Well…err…" he nodded.

She laughed. "What's your favourite food then?"

He liked his lips with the thought of it. "Definitely my mother's homemade spaghetti and meatballs. It's a secret recipe but I figure she could make millions if she ever sold it!"

Makepeace found herself smiling yet again; in fact she hadn't been able to stop herself from smiling all evening.

"Next. Most embarrassing moment?" he continued.

"A psychological assessment springs to mind!" she cringed.

He nodded in agreement. Yeah. Movin' on. Life changing moments?"

"Joining the force I would say," she replied. "You?"

He watched her intently then for a while, trying to decide whether to voice the immediate reply that entered his head. Putting down his spoon, he moved his chair to her side and she watched him with some reservations. He put his arm on the back of her chair, resting his hand lightly on her shoulder.

"Meeting you," he finally replied. She looked suspiciously at him. "You don't believe me? Listen Harry; I don't say things I don't mean. Especially things like that! It aint easy for me to say how I feel, particularly to you." Her heart suddenly went out to him and her face filled with emotion then. He lifted his hand to gently brush her hair from her face. "You're so beautiful Harry. I don't think I ever told you that did I?" She simply watched him, not trusting herself to speak. "I just keep comin' back to you. Not that we don't see each other all the time at work of course," he continued clumsily, realising that he wasn't expressing himself well. "But I don't mean that, I mean…" she cut him off suddenly by putting a finger to his lips.

There was a moment then when they both looked at each other in surprise, all the more so in Harry's case as she only realised what she intended to do seconds before she removed her finger and replaced it with her lips. She moved her head towards him slowly but with purpose, although their lips only met with the briefest of touches to begin with. He was so surprised by her action that it took him a couple of moments to react. After her lips lingered on his for a while however he reached up and ran his fingers through her hair, urging her not to move away. He moved back slightly then to look into her face before returning his lips to hers and tantalising her with a series of feather light kisses which left her whole body tingling with pleasure.

"You're magic Harry," he murmured against her lips, "I'm so completely hooked."

She suddenly wanted to be closer to him so she shifted her upper body to press it against his, bringing her mouth into full contact with his in the process. He'd never before felt as thrilled as he did then by her eager submission to him. She opened her mouth, hungry for more intimate contact, and he suddenly had the most divine experience of the warm, moistness of her mouth. He had to fight then to keep control of himself for fear of frightening her away or ruining the moment. He began a gentle exploration of her mouth, teasing and tasting, pulling away and then closing the gap to bring them even closer. A warmth began to spread between them then from one to the other; and when she eventually pulled back from him both of them were gasping for breath. As they sat there watching each other's reactions a sudden realisation came across their faces. They both wanted each other equally. He could feel the heat emanating from her, just as she could feel it from him. The space between them seemed to crackle with electric energy and he no longer had any fears that this was a spur of the moment accident on her part.

"Come here," he said, taking hold of her hand and pulling her towards his lap. She went to him without hesitation, sitting sideways across his legs and reaching out for him again. He wound his arms around her body and pulled her as close as he possibly could against him while they resumed the kiss. This time however neither of them was holding back and their mouths collided together, their lips sliding over each other's in passionate abandon. Suddenly she lost track of where his hands were, they were all over her, in the same way that her's were all over him. They couldn't seem to get close enough to each other and when she felt his hands slide up her back, underneath her blouse, she was unable to stop herself from crying out for him.

"God damn it Harry, you've got me shaking!" he exclaimed, tearing his mouth away from hers and fighting for breath. "I want you so damn much!" She watched him with a pained expression as she bit her lip and tried to clear her foggy head.

"I think I should sit back over there again," she said eventually finding her voice.

He nodded. "I think that would be wise."

She moved back to her chair but he didn't let her put much space between them as he placed his arm back over her shoulder and rested his head against hers. They looked out across the lake together while he stroked the skin of her shoulder and upper arm.

"Would you like a coffee Harry?" he asked suddenly. She shook her head, not wanting to interrupt the moment.

"I give you express permission to scold me severely if my hands happen to wander again," he said, turning his head to watch her.

Makepeace laughed. "I think that would be a little hypocritical of me considering my behaviour during the last couple of minutes!"

"Hell! Don't say that! You're givin' me ideas to start it all over again," he exclaimed. "And I get the feelin' that if I did, I'd wind up goin' a hell of a lot further right here on the terrace!"

She giggled. "I can't imagine what kind of a commotion that would cause in the restaurant!"

He smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "Come on Cinderella, time to get you home."

Dempsey summoned the waiter and paid the bill before escorting Makepeace back out to his car. The return journey to her house was spent in companionable silence and Makepeace gazed out of the window in a kind of dream, feeling a warm, comfortable sensation as she watched the world whiz by. Dempsey's thoughts were focused on the events of the evening and he didn't anticipate getting any sleep that night, however the realisation of this didn't seem to bother him in the least.

After pulling up into her driveway he quickly got out of the car and opened the door for Makepeace, walking her up the steps to her front door. She took her keys out of her bag and turned to say goodnight to him.

"I had a wonderful evening Dempsey, thank you," she said, kissing him on the cheek. He caught hold of her face before she pulled away though and gently held it between his hands.

"Now I aint gonna push my luck Harry, I think I've had way more luck that I can believe tonight, but I'd just like one last tiny kiss before I leave," he said with a hopeful expression. She nodded and he bent his head, catching her lips with his and revelling in her nearness for a moment. He moved his head back slightly to gaze into her eyes and, feeling reluctant to let her go just yet, he put his cheek next to hers, turning to kiss the side of her face, her jaw and then her ear.

"You're a wonderful woman Harry. Goodnight princess," he whispered, finally tearing himself away from her and heading for the car.

She watched him go and then, suddenly full of exhilaration, she let herself into her house. Feeling a lot like a schoolgirl again, she ran up the stairs and dived onto her bed, hugging a pillow and staring up at the ceiling as she giggled to herself.


	11. Chapter 11

Makepeace lay in bed staring up at the ceiling and running the conversations of the previous night through her head for the umpteenth time that morning. It had taken her hours to get to sleep that night and, although she still felt sleepy, she had woken up early and sleep was evading her yet again. How she was going to concentrate on work that day was anyone's guess but she still had a little more time to daydream before she had to get up so she slid further down underneath the bedclothes with a contented smile.

The sudden sound of the telephone pulled her abruptly out of her reverie and she rolled over to pick up the handset.

"Hello."

"Mornin' princess, sleep well?"

"Dempsey?" she replied, with some surprise in her voice but knowing full well that it was him.

"Yeah, expectin' someone else?"

"Well, no not really. You're the only person that rings me up in the morning," she smiled.

"Yeah, but not just any old mornin', this is a real great mornin' don't you think?" he asked, waiting expectantly for her reply.

She giggled. "Well, it looks like a nice day outside."

"Err, I haven't looked outside yet," he laughed. "You up yet?"

"No. I was contemplating getting up but haven't got that far."

"Me neither. I didn't get much sleep last night, I don't know why," he grinned, "must have had things on my mind." She smiled and pulled the bedclothes over her head for a second, trying to think of how to reply. He waited for a while and then broke the silence. "You know I gotta hell ya Harry, I don't really have a reason for phonin', I just wanted to hear your voice," he laughed, cringing a little and hoping that he'd not said the wrong thing.

She bit her lip. "And now I can't think of a single thing to say!"

He chuckled. "A tongue tied Harry, I don't believe it!"

"I know, but I'm not used to this, you're usually phoning to tell me that Spikings wants us in the office ASAP," she replied.

He groaned. "You wanna give work a miss today Harry?"

She laughed. "Great idea. I'll just have a word with Spikings, I'm sure he won't mind. I'll just say, 'Sir, Dempsey and I don't really feel like coming into work today so we're taking the day off. You don't mind, do you?"

"Sure, and I'll add, 'Me and Makepeace, we're goin' to spend a little more time together, getting' to know everythin' about each other. We'll be startin' off with a stroll through the park…"

A warm smile spread across Makepeace's face. "…and then maybe a picnic by the river," she added, feeling encouraged by his enthusiasm.

"Yeah, a picnic sounds great. And I'd be on my best behaviour, even though I'd be drivin' myself nuts holdin' back from kissin' you senseless underneath the crab apple tree!"

She burst into laughter. "That's very gentlemanly of you Dempsey."

"Well, I said I'd be tryin', I didn't say I'd be successful," he added. She tingled with anticipation at the thought of it. "Ah to hell with this!" he said suddenly out of the blue. "What d'ya say I come over and cook you breakfast Harry?"

"You, cook? Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Well… okay, I'll pick somthin' up for us on the way," he replied, jumping out of bed. "See you in a few minutes."

"A few minutes? Dempsey give me a chance to get out of bed!" she exclaimed.

He grinned. "Don't worry about that Harry, breakfast in bed with you is fine with me!"

"I'm sure it is, but Dempsey if we both want to keep our jobs we do actually have to go to work today," she replied without thinking, grimacing as the underlying implication of the statement hit her. Dempsey picked up on it immediately.

"Ahh, so you have thoughts of keeping me in bed all day long then," he replied triumphantly. "What the hell, I'll jack the job in! Don't move out of that bed!"

"I'm getting up now Dempsey!" she shouted, just before he hung up.

She got out of bed, showered and changed, pausing in the process of brushing her hair in front of the mirror when she noticed the ridiculous grin on her face.

_You're getting a bit carried away with all of this! This is Dempsey remember, you've got to work with him!_

She shrugged, feeling in a reckless mood.

_So bloody what! You don't have to be so sensible all the time. _

She put down the brush and descended the stairs just as she heard Dempsey's car pull up outside. Her pulse quickened at the thought of seeing him again. Moments later the doorbell rang and she took in a steadying breath before opening the door to him. He stood on the doorstep holding some brown paper takeaway bags and he looked up as the door opened, his face breaking into a smile at the sight of her.

"Breakfast," he said, holding up the bags and leaning forward to plant a kiss on her cheek. She looked taken aback for a moment.

_That's different. Do I get a kiss on the cheek every morning now then?_

She smiled and moved backwards to let him into the house, shutting the door behind him. Turning suddenly, she almost bumped into him and he caught her by the elbow. The following moment was filled with intensity as their eyes met and all the pleasure of the previous evening came back to them both. They stood there in silence simply gazing at each other.

_This is ridiculous! Come on, focus._

"I'll make the coffee," she said eventually with a small laugh, breaking eye contact with him and heading for the kitchen. He smiled and followed her. As she busied herself with preparing the coffee he came up behind her and reached around her to place the paper bags on the kitchen unit, running his hands down her arms and moving his lips to her ear afterwards. He closed his eyes and breathed in her scent, turning his head to whisper into her ear.

"I'll have to be quicker next time eh. You look gorgeous this mornin' Harry, as always," he added. "There's just one problem," he said, slipping his arm around her middle and pulling her backwards towards him.

"What's that?" she whispered back, grasping the edge of the kitchen counter top and trying her hardest control the way her heart raced at his nearness.

"I can't keep my hands off you," he replied, sweeping back her hair with his free hand and bending to brush his lips lightly against her neck. She could feel her control rapidly slipping away so she moved slightly to the side to open a cupboard door and take out two mugs. He kept hold of her though and simply followed her as she moved. She smiled to herself and tried again, moving a little further away to the cutlery drawer to find a spoon. He wasn't in the least bit put off and shadowed her movements, tightening the hold on her waist.

She laughed and turned to face him. "Dempsey, I think you're right, this might prove to be a bit of a problem. You go and sit over there," she said moving her eyes to a chair at the kitchen table behind them, "and I'll finish making the coffee."

He turned to glance at the chair. "All the way over there?" he said, facing her again with a crestfallen expression.

"Yes Dempsey," she said, moving her eyes purposely towards the chair again.

"But it's so far away," he sulked.

She laughed. "Look, we have to be at work soon. You know, work, where we have to be able to concentrate on solving cases. At the moment I can't even concentrate on making a cup of coffee!" she admitted with exasperation.

He grinned. "I'll help," he said, reaching behind her to flick the switch on the kettle and bending at the same time to feather a row of tiny kisses up her neck. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes.

"Come on Dempsey, that's not fair," she appealed.

"Hmm?" he murmured, nibbling at her ear.

"I think you… should move… over there now Dempsey," she urged.

"Okay," he whispered, ignoring her completely and moving his lips ever closer to hers. She felt his fingers running teasingly up the length of her back and over her shoulders where he moved his hands into her hair to cup her face. She suddenly realised that she'd been holding her breath with anticipation and she opened her mouth slightly to exhale, realising her mistake too late when their mouths connected. Their lips clung to each other's for only seconds before she came to her senses.

"No, no, no," she said suddenly, pushing him backwards, taking in a deep breath and shaking her head as if to clear it. "Move! Over there," she said, pointing to the chair. He groaned and looked at her beseechingly. "Go on! Someone has to be sensible here." He made a sound of protest and edged back towards her, brushing his lips lightly over hers.

"Let's just try the kissing thing again for a bit," he whispered. "I like that," he grinned, tempting her with tiny kisses. She moaned into his mouth, placing her hands on his shoulders to push him away again but finding herself pulling him closer to her instead.

"Dempsey?" she implored. She had meant it to come out as a warning but the word sounded more like a plea.

"Mmm, my lips just want to be on yours. I can't help it," he sighed, closing the gap again before moving his head back slightly to take a look at the lips in question. "Such temptingly kissable lips too," he added, watching with fascination as he traced a finger over them.

"Enough!" she finally grated out, holding him at arms length. "You're going to sit over there and you're going now…this very minute," she ordered.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Okay, okay I'm goin'," he sighed, dropping his hands and reluctantly moving away.

He sat watching her making the coffee with his head propped on his hand, leaning against the kitchen table with one elbow. As she waited for the coffee to filter she suddenly realised how quiet he'd become so she risked a furtive glance at him out of the corner of her eyes. He hadn't moved an inch, he was simply sat gazing dreamily at her. She giggled to herself, took two plates out of the cupboard and grabbed the takeaway bag, placing them on the table and returning for the finished mugs of coffee. Joining him again, she took a seat and sipped her drink.

"So," she began, determined to focus her mind on work, "I suppose our first priority is to get in touch with Samantha."

"Hmm." His mind was on other things.

"Dempsey?"

"Oh yes, Samantha." His eyes hovered on her face.

"Yes, and we still have to find the Goldings remember?" she pointed out.

"Hmm, the Goldings…you're gorgeous," he said, digressing.

She ignored his comment and tried to pull the conversation back to work. "They're obviously avoiding us."

"I wanna hold your hand…"

A slight frown flickered across her face. "We don't even know where they are."

"I wanna feel your hair in my hands goin' through my fingers…"

Her heart began racing again. "The contact number could be bogus."

"…and I wanna kiss your lips and your neck…"

"We need to ask Samantha about that," she replied, quickly.

"…and I wanna smell the perfume comin' up through your clothing…"

"Dempsey? The Goldings," she said in desperation.

"I wanna rip you're…" She cut him off suddenly by placing a hand over his mouth.

"Stop! No more!"

"That's not how it went before," he frowned, removing her hand.

"Before we were just role-playing," she pointed out.

"Were we?" he replied, putting doubts into her head. She hesitated, looking across the table at him with questioning eyes. He smiled slowly, a smile which doubled her heart rate and scattered her thoughts.

"Maybe we should just take this to work with us," she said, picking up the paper bags, standing suddenly and walking into the lounge to find her handbag. She was searching blindly in the bottom of her bag for her keys when he entered the room. He noticed the keys on a side table and grasped them, coming up from behind her and placing them into her hands with a lingering touch.

"I meant every word of it," he whispered into her ear before heading for the front door.


	12. Chapter 12

Dempsey and Makepeace entered SI10, bumping into Spikings who was just coming out of his office. He looked from one to the other with a puzzled expression.

"What's wrong with you two?" he asked, shocking them both with the question and making them wonder how on earth he knew what they'd been doing.

_Hmm, they look sheepish. What don't I know?_

"Nothin'," Dempsey replied defensively.

"Why you both in early?" Spikings asked. Makepeace let out a sigh of relief.

"Just keen to push forward with this case Sir," she smiled.

"Yeah, that's right," Dempsey added. "Gotta find the Goldings and err…the err…"

"Telephone Samantha," Makepeace finished for him.

"Yeah, Samantha, gotta speak to her…and the tall guy…"

Makepeace jumped in again. "Jack."

"Yeah, Jack." Dempsey finished.

"Hmm, well glad to see that your minds are so firmly focused on work," Spikings replied sarcastically. They both stared back at him blankly. "Well?"

"Sir?"

Spikings groaned and ran a hand over his head. "Don't you have some phone calls to make then?"

They both jumped into action. "Yeah right, phone calls," Dempsey said, following Makepeace to her desk. Spikings watched them for a moment and then shook his head before disappearing back into his office.

Makepeace dialled the telephone number that Samantha had left them and waited for an answer. After a couple of minutes no one had picked up so she sighed and replaced the receiver.

"Something's wrong," she concluded with a frown. "She seemed so keen to speak to us before." Dempsey reached onto her desk for Golding's contact number and dialled it.

"No one answering there either," he said, hanging up. "You were probably right, this number is bogus and someone's sending us on a wild goose chase."

"Stalling us," Makepeace added, folding her arms.

"We're gettin' nowhere like this, we need another lead," he said, reaching to look at the files again. Makepeace sat back in her chair and watched Dempsey as she struggled to fit the pieces of the case together in her head.

Moments later Spikings put his head around his office door.

"Makepeace," he barked, making a firm thumb gesture towards the office and urging her to join him. "It's her."

Makepeace bolted out of her seat, closely followed by Dempsey.

"I can't stay on the phone for long," came the nervous voice on the other end when Makepeace picked up the receiver. "Can we meet?"

"Where?" Makepeace replied immediately, gesturing for Dempsey to pass her a pen.

"There's a small park about five miles from the country club, I'll meet you by the bridge there in an hour."

"What's the name of this park?" Makepeace asked quickly.

"Morewood, I have to go," Samantha replied in a panic, hanging up the phone.

"Come on," Makepeace said to Dempsey, replacing the receiver and standing up to leave.

"Listen you two," Spikings began, halting them both momentarily, "we need evidence to implicate Golding in the scandal and the planted explosives. Get what you can out of the girl, if you can get her to testify against him all the better but then we're passing this on to the appropriate bureau. This is too big even for us. We're SI10, we're not responsible for cleaning up corruption in the entire British Government! You get the evidence and that'll be enough to satisfy them upstairs."

"And earn us a few Brownie points too Sir," Makepeace pointed out with a smile.

Spikings folded his arms across his chest and nodded with a broad grin. "Yes, that's right Sergeant. I might even consider retirement after this one." Dempsey and Makepeace turned to each other in shock.

"Get the evidence," Spikings reminded them with a more sober expression. "And Dempsey, I want you to report straight back to me on anything you get today. Don't go riding off like Bronco Billy on a mission to round up the bad guys," he warned, raising his voice as Dempsey turned his back on Spikings and strode out of the office.

"You should never kill a man unless it's absolutely necessary!" Dempsey shouted back over his shoulder to Spikings in his best Clint Eastwood accent.

"Dempsey! I'm not having any cowboys in my team, remember that!" Spikings boomed back, grimacing as a sudden pain shot through his head. "Where's those aspirin? I'm too old for all of this now," he muttered to himself. " Feet up, read the morning paper with a nice cup of tea and then out for the afternoon for a spot of fishing," he grinned. "Yes, an early retirement will do me nicely."

oxoxoxoxoxo

"I wonder how much she will give away, Golding is her father in law after all and she also seemed to be quite intimidated by him from what we overheard," Makepeace pointed out as she leant against the side of the small wooden bridge running across the stream.

"Sure but she wouldn't have arranged to meet us here if she didn't have somthin'. I think they're gonna betray him and run away together, that's what the tall guy was talkin' 'bout, right?"

Makepeace gave it some thought. "Hmm, but Samantha seemed to be too concerned for their safety to do anything that rash."

Dempsey contemplated Makepeace for a moment. "Yeah but Harry, if two people wanna be together that much nothin'd stop them." She acknowledged his point with a nod. "Anyway, I guess we're just about to find out," Dempsey said, watching as Samantha approached.

As soon as Samantha neared Dempsey and Makepeace she gestured for them to join her on a nearby bench, which was somewhat hidden from view by the surrounding shrubbery.

"You're investigating my father in law, right?" Samantha asked with a guarded look.

"That's right," Makepeace replied.

"What you got on him?"

"Nothing that will stick yet but he's been under investigation for some time now," Makepeace informed her.

"This recent attack on you guys, you think it came from him?" she asked, watching their reactions closely. Makepeace nodded. "What would you say if I told you I had the evidence you need? What would that be worth?"

"Worth?" Makepeace asked. "What do you want?"

"Don't get me wrong, I want my father in law brought to justice but the guy you saw me with yesterday, I don't want him implicated. He never wanted to be involved in all of this anymore than I did, but Jack got into some trouble and my father in law helped him out so now he's got a hold on Jack. The only way we're ever gonna stand a chance of commin' out of this alive is if my father in law gets put away. But we won't be safe until he is."

"We're only interested in bringin' down Golding. You give us sufficient evidence and provide us with his location and he'll be in custody today," Dempsey assured her.

Samantha surreptitiously passed Makepeace a padded brown envelope. "There's gotta be enough there, it contains taped telephone conversations that Jack kept. They were gonna give him somethin' to bargain with so that my father in law would let Jack go but that aint ever gonna happen, Jack realises that now. Our only option is to get away but we aint ready to go yet so I'll phone you later with his location," she said, standing to leave. Makepeace placed a hand on Samantha's arm to halt her for a moment whilst she fished in her bag for a card which she slipped into Samantha's hand before she left.

"My direct line, if you need me." Samantha thanked Makepeace and rushed away, glancing nervously around her as she disappeared down the path. Makepeace couldn't help but feel for the girl, she was risking so much just to be there, let alone providing them with evidence against Golding and running away with Jack.

"Looks like we got this one in the bag," Dempsey said, reaching for Makepeace's arm and urging her to stand. "And true love wins out again," he grinned.

"Hmm, I hope so," she replied thoughtfully, "for both their sakes." She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she only realised that Dempsey was leading her away from the car park by the time they were half way across the bridge.

"Hold on, where are we going?" she asked, stopping suddenly.

"Well, i figure that this was a stroke of luck," he began, trying to distract her with his words as he put an arm over her shoulder and ushered her forward again. "We get our stroll through the park after all," he smiled.

"Dempsey," she protested, "we are still working remember? Spikings will want an update," she said, moving away from him.

He pulled a face. "Yeah but we have the evidence and there aint much more we can do until we get Golding's location."

"We are still supposed to be working," she repeated.

"Harry," he began, taking hold of her shoulders and turning her to him. "It's just a stroll through the park. A minor detour if you like. Besides, what we gonna do when we get back to the office anyway? We'd be stuck doin' paperwork behind a desk when we got the sunshine here, and the pretty flowers..." before she knew it they had reached the other end of the bridge and were following the path up a small hill, "... and the birds and the bees," he continued with a grin.

"Hmm," she said, watching him from the corner of her eyes, "it's the birds and the bees that I'm worried about!" He laughed and they continued walking.

"I gotta say, summers aint bad in this country of yours. I mean the winters can be dire but it's days like these that kinda make up for it," he smiled, running his hand from her shoulder down her arm to entwine his fingers through hers. He brought both their hands around her middle and moved behind her, stopping to admire the view from the top of the hill. He was right, it was a glorious day. The grassy hills and fields stretched out before them beyond the park, and below them the odd couple of people could be seen picnicking on the grass or wandering down the pathways that wound around the colourful flower beds and through the grounds.

"Ever feel like you're on the top of the world?" he asked. Makepeace was unsure if he was referring to their position on the hill or if he was just in high spirits.

"Well, it is a rather wonderful view," she replied, hedging her bets. He chuckled at her non committal response.

"We could almost be mistaken for lovers," he whispered into her ear, resting his chin on her shoulder and gazing sideways at her. He could feel the heat rising from her face as she kept her eyes on the view. "Don't you think?" he pushed, knowing that she was struggling to come up with a reply and loving the sight of her usual cool exterior slipping away. "Hmm Harry?" he said, brushing the back of his fingers down her cheek. "You're blushing," he grinned.

She closed her eyes for a moment and moved her face away from his hand. "You're not supposed to tell a lady that she's blushing. It makes her blush even more," she answered primly.

He laughed. "But I love to see you blush Harry. Especially when it's because you're thinkin' about us being lovers."

"I _am_ not," she said, turning further away from him to avoid his scrutiny. He kept hold of her hand and edged around her, straining to catch a glimpse of her face. She pulled her hand free from his, turning back the other way and keeping her face averted. This soon developed into a battle of wills, with him determined to witness her reaction and her determined for him not to, until she finally growled with frustration.

"Don't you think we ought to be getting back now?"

He laughed loudly then, delighting in the way he could throw her off balance. "Okay, okay, I promise to behave," he said, backing down. She didn't look convinced. "Honest," he stressed, holding up his hands in surrender, "scout's honour. C'mon let's go down here," he said, grabbing her hand suddenly and running down the hill, pulling her behind him. He caught her unawares and she was forced to give in to momentum until he stopped abruptly, catching her as she careered into him and holding her in the air.

"It's a great day!" he shouted.

"Put me down you idiot," she said, pushing him against the chest but laughing with him all the same.

"Only if you admit that it's a great day," he challenged.

She sighed. "It's a great day. Now put me down."

"_And_ if you admit that you were thinkin' 'bout us being lovers," he grinned, unable to resist the comment.

"Put me down now!" she ordered, glaring at him. He chuckled but put her down.

"Hey, sit down here a minute," he said, lowering himself onto the grassy bank and urging her to join him.

"Dempsey, I think..." She didn't get a chance to protest any further however as he tugged at her hand and she found herself sitting next to him. "Okay, looks like I'm sitting here then." She gave him a look as if he'd briefly lost his marbles.

"Dempsey, are you okay? You're acting a bit...oddly," she pointed out, watching as he lay flat out on the grass.

"Lie down here a minute an' tell me what you see," he replied, ignoring her comment.

"What on earth are you doing now?" she asked in bewilderment.

"C'mon Harry, lie down and look up a minute," he urged.

She sighed and lay down next to him, feeling a little ridiculous as she gazed up into the sky.

"Okay, now what do you see?" he asked again.

"Clouds?" she answered with uncertainty.

"Nah, it's a horse," he announced.

"A horse? Dempsey, do you think you might have been in the sun a bit too long?"

"Can't you see it? There look," he said, pointing up into the clouds. "There's its body in the middle and there's the neck and head...and sort of legs," he chuckled. She turned her head to watch him intently scrutinising the sky. "Now what do _you_ see?"

She looked up again with a smile. "Err, I can see...a...giraffe?" she giggled.

"You can?" he replied with mock amazement. "Where?"

"There," she pointed to a wispy length of cloud.

"That don't look nothin' like a giraffe," he teased.

"Well, that doesn't look anything like a horse," she laughed. He laughed with her and reached out to slide an arm underneath her neck, trailing his fingers through her hair and over her shoulder as they continued to find pictures in the sky.

"Tell you what I can see though," he added.

"What?"

"Apple pie and custard," he grinned.

She burst into laughter. "You can't see that at all."

"Sure I can," he chuckled, wriggling closer to her. He took hold of her shoulder then with his hand and pulled her around onto him. She resisted and looked up at him suspiciously. "Relax. Trust me," he whispered, moving his hand to her waist to hold her against him. She watched him for a while with wary eyes but he simply continued to stare up at the sky and eventually her neck began to ache with the effort of keeping her head up so she slowly lowered it onto his chest. He smiled then, unbeknownst to her, and rested his free hand on top of her head, gently stroking her hair. She felt tense and awkward for a while but then the soft movement of his hand and the warm rays of the sun began to relax her and she was surprised to find herself becoming sleepy as the previous night's restlessness started to take its toll.

"Dempsey, I think that last night is starting to catch up with me. If we don't move soon I'm going to end up falling asleep," she laughed.

"That's okay. I figure you can close your eyes for a bit," he said in a soft voice, beginning to feel sleepy himself.

"But..." she began.

"Ssh," he said immediately, placing a finger on her lips. She stopped and he took his finger away to resume stroking her hair. She was half asleep the next time he spoke and she was only vaguely aware of what he said.

"I guess our bodies are smarter than we are."

"Hmm," she responded dreamily.

"This is the only way they want us to fall asleep," he smiled, pulling her even more snugly against him and resting his cheek on top of her head.

Soon her eye lids became too heavy to keep open and she drifted into a warm, soothing slumber. Although he was tempted to close his eyes himself, he resisted the urge. Partly because he was aware that they would have to return to work at some point soon, and partly because he didn't want to waste a moment of this experience with her. He relished the feel of her body against his, the way they moulded together and the gentle rhythm of her breathing. As he gazed down at her he realised with startling clarity that he was holding the most precious thing in the world to him. Ironically he had never experienced such a feeling of belonging as he lay there, so far away from his home country, holding Harry in his arms in the park underneath the trees.


	13. Chapter 13

"We got him," Dempsey said, breezing into Spikings's office and throwing the brown envelope down on the desk. "There's the evidence you wanted and Samantha's gonna phone us later with Golding's location." Spikings picked up the envelope, dropped it into his deak drawer and slammed it shut. Dempsey frowned. "Good work you two, don't mention it boss," he mocked.

"They're pulling the plug on the whole investigation," Spikings barked, leaning his knuckles on the desk and staring at the desktop as he fought to control his anger.

"What! But we got him where we want him! We got the evidence!" Dempsey exclaimed.

"It seems that the bureaucrats and the red tape quacks have moved in and will be 'looking into the unfortunate series of events in due time.' They don't want us involved. It's a cover up and gone are the days when we can do the job we're supposed to do. Damn it," he growled, thumping his fist loudly on the desk, "we can't even protect our own anymore!"

"But we got the evidence," Dempsey repeated, glancing at the desk drawer.

"Dempsey, they're not interested!" Spikings yelled. "Golding's got to them!" He turned his head sideways and gritted his teeth. "He's a snake in the grass, a viper, a bloody constrictor who's squeezing the life out of this country!" Dempsey and Makepeace slumped into the chairs in front of Spikings as he seethed and raged before their very eyes. "That retirement is becoming more appealing by the minute! Well to hell with them! You two can take the rest of the day off. I've had it up to here with the lot of them!" he finished, striding out of the office and leaving Dempsey and Makepeace staring at each other in bewilderment.

"The day off! Hell, I almost don't know what to do with myself…almost," Dempsey stressed, grinning at Makepeace. She unlocked her car and opened the door, turning to Dempsey with a wry expression. "You wanna go ahead with that picnic after all Harry?"

"It's a bit late for that Dempsey," she said, glancing at her watch.

"Okay, how about I take you out downtown? You know where 'everything's happening,'" he quoted her.

She smiled. "Well, maybe."

"Great, I'll pick you up in a couple of hours," he confirmed as she slid into the driver's seat of her car, closed the door and wound down the window. "We'll get somethin' to eat and then just see where the night takes us," he suggested as his grin widened.

"Hmm, I'll see you later," she laughed, starting up the car and pulling away.

As soon as Dempsey arrived home he stripped off his clothes and headed for the shower. He sang out loudly as he soaped himself down, amazed at how well things had gone between himself and Makepeace over the last twenty-four hours.

_Oh boy are we going to have a good night tonight! She ain't gonna want it to end! _

He stepped out of the shower and reached for a towel, wrapping it around his waist and strolling into the hallway towards the bedroom. Before he reached it however the sound of the telephone in the kitchen caught his attention and he did an about turn, entering the room and snatching up the receiver.

"Yo! If you're callin' us back in we aint commin.' No one's at home."

"You'd better hope someone's there. We have business to talk," came the sinister reply.

Dempsey's face fell. "Who is this?"

During the remainder of the phone call every bit of colour drained from Dempsey's face. He stood listening to the man who gave him little opportunity or option to answer back. He replaced the receiver and his mind was in turmoil. His first instinct was to dismiss the call and reject all demands that the man had made, however he had to rethink the situation as it occurred to him that it wasn't just himself that he had to think about anymore. He wasn't used to that. He was used to relying on his instincts and flouting the rules to get results in his own way. But now Harry was involved. The man had made that clear. And he realised with frightening clarity that anything he did from that point on could jeopardise her life. He was stuck, cornered. And the man knew that. How did he know that? Dempsey had some suspicions but for now he couldn't act on anything, he couldn't risk it. He would submit to the man's demands and bide his time. With that thought he picked up the receiver again and telephoned Spikings, informing him that they needed to talk, alone.

When he had left SI10 for the final time that day Dempsey had felt surprisingly disappointed. He had half expected his conversation with Spikings to provide some answers or solutions for him. But Spikings was unusually resigned that day. He had not been as affected by his announcement as Dempsey had expected and now he was faced with the reality of the situation. He had cornered himself into this now, but what else could he do?

By the time Dempsey had arrived back at his apartment he was livid with himself, livid with Spikings and livid with the world in general. He stormed around his apartment, snatching up random personal belongings that meant nothing to him and throwing them into an open suitcase. When he entered the kitchen he had worked himself up into a frenzy, sweeping objects off the table and counter tops and sending them crashing to the floor. He only stopped when there was nothing left to break and he stood staring at the telephone which was lying on the floor, making a loud beeping sound. He picked it up and dialled Makepeace's number, completely clueless as to what he was going to say.

"Harry."

"Dempsey?" she said with a questioning tone. He sounded odd.

"I gotta take a rain check on our date tonight. I'm sorry." It sounded lame but what else could he say?

"Are you alright?" she came back immediately.

_No! No I'm not alright!_

"Yeah. Somethin's come up. I'll see ya tomorrow," he said, hanging up and feeling completely wretched.

_I won't see her tomorrow though! When will I see her?_

The following hours were spent with him sat at his kitchen table staring at nothing in particular. He didn't want to think. He would be better off leaving there and then but he knew in the back of his head that he had unfinished business. He had to go to Harry's. He couldn't not, but he also couldn't face her. As the light of the day faded he struggled with his thoughts, surrounded by the broken remains of his life in London.


	14. Chapter 14

**I have just added another paragraph onto the last chapter. Sorry but i think it needed it.**

Dempsey unlocked Makepeace's front door with a shaking hand and slipped into her hallway. All was dark and silent. He crept up the stairs, taking care to make as little noise as possible and feeling like a thief in the night.

_I'm a rat. That's what she called me wasn't it? She was right._

He hadn't thought much about why he had gone there, or what he would do when he arrived; he only knew that he had to see her before he left. The irony of it all was that he couldn't even speak to her. He daren't risk it. She would want answers, she would want to know why; but he could tell her nothing. He knew that he was being unfair, that she deserved more than this but what could he do? More than anything he was afraid that if he did speak to her he would crack and tell her why he had to leave. Then she would convince him not to go and…the consequences of that didn't bear thinking about.

When he reached her bedroom door he hesitated and strained to hear evidence of movement inside. He heard nothing and so he pushed the door open and entered. The bedroom was in semi darkness, however the light from a streetlamp outside her window enabled him to make out the basics of the room. The night had been a particularly hot one and Makepeace had thrown the bedcovers off in her sleep. She lay on her back with her face half turned away from him, her hair splayed out on the pillow, one arm flung above her head, her cheeks flushed. He sighed and stood there for a while just watching her, taking in the small details of her about turned face.

_Hiya Harry. Sweetheart I gotta go away. I don't want to, but I got to._

He ran a hand through his hair and fought to control his spiralling emotions.

_Harry, there's this woman you see. And this guy. And this guy loves this woman more than life itself, only the dumb guy couldn't tell her. And now the stupid thing is that the guy can't tell her 'cause it would put her life in danger. Cause the woman is so wonderful that she would fight to keep him here; she wouldn't care about the danger to herself. So the guy's gotta protect her. But she's gonna be hurt and angry, she's gonna think that he doesn't care and she's gonna curse the day she let the man hold her and kiss her. But the guy cares and the guy is gonna be lost without her. Cause you know, this guy is nothin' without this woman._

He swallowed the lump in his throat and looked to the ceiling for a moment.

_Harry, what am I gonna do without you? I don't know…I gotta sort this one out somehow but I don't know how. I don't wanna do this…I don't know what to do. And the person who I would run to right away for help is just the person that I can't. I want to take you in my arms. I want your warmth and your sweetness. I want you to take away this huge achimg pain I can feel insida me right now._

He turned away from her then for a second as he felt his resolve weaken.

_I gotta go now princess. But I'm gonna make it up to you Harry, somehow._

He kissed two of his fingers and reached out towards her cheek.

"Bye Harry," he whispered, turning to leave.

"Where are you going?"

He froze at the sound of her voice and winced when the room was suddenly flooded with light.

"Go back to sleep Harry," he said, reaching for the door. At that she bolted out of bed, brushed past him, slammed the door shut and turned to face him with her back against the door handle. "Hold on just a minute! You break into my house, and into my bedroom and then you leave without so much as a word of explanation! What's going on Dempsey?"

_Damn, this is just what I wanted to avoid!_

He ran his hands over his face and through his hair, struggling to think of what to say next. He decided to be as truthful as he possibly could.

"I have to go back to New York Harry. I came to say goodbye."

She stared at him blankly for a moment with an expressionless face. "I see. And are you coming back? Have you given up you're job?" Suddenly her mind was working overtime as a stream of questions filled it. "Will I see you again?" Her voice became louder as her own questions angered her. " When did you make this decision? When you asked me out on a date? Or was it when you were kissing me in the kitchen downstairs? Or how about when we were in the park and you were talking about us being lovers? Was that when you made the decision eh Dempsey?" She shouted, releasing the door handle and storming over to the window. She leant against the windowsill with her back to him, too angry to face him any more.

"Harry, c'mon. You can't really believe that," he said, appearing behind her and running his hands down her arms.

She shrugged them off. "Well tell me different then. Why do you have to go?"

This was the question he had been dreading. "I can't tell you." He sighed. "I know what that sounds like, I know what you're thinkin' but I really can't tell you Harry."

She spun to face him. "So that's it? No explanations, nothing. You're just going to go?"

"I have to Harry."

Her eyes bore into him. "But you weren't even going to say goodbye. You were just going to leave. How could you do that?" He could see the pain and hurt in her face and it was almost more than he could bear.

"Harry, I don't know what to say to you!" he shouted out in frustration, turning to pace the room. He laughed bitterly to himself. "You know if I'm honest, I wanted you to wake up! But the more I say to you now the more I get you involved and the more danger I'll put you in." She watched him closely, soaking up everything he was saying in an attempt to figure out what was prompting him to leave. "I gotta go," he said suddenly, heading for the door again.

"You're a hypocrite Dempsey!" she said in desperation. "What was all that rubbish you said today? That if two people really wanted to be together then nothing would stop them. At least have the decency to admit that you had a change of heart about us." He hesitated. She could see the impact that her words were having on him. He was uncertain, torn. But why?

"Dempsey, I can't do this any more!" she shouted, fighting to keep the tears from her eyes that she felt threatening. "I don't know why you have to go but if you do go that's it as far as I'm concerned. Don't think that you can just come waltzing back into my life as if nothing has happened. I won't play these games with you."

He suddenly cracked and strode towards her, taking her face in his hands and staring deeply into her eyes.

"Harry, I'd rather cut my right arm off than leave you here like this but I gotta! You know me. You know me more than anyone on this whole damn earth! We're partners. You trust me with your life every day. So trust me with this Harry, please!"

She was helpless to keep the tears from flowing then and she threw her arms around his neck, grasping onto his shoulders in anguish.

"Don't go Dempsey!" she could hear the desperation in her own voice but she didn't care. "I'm frightened for you. I'm frightened that I'll never see you again!" she sobbed. "Whatever it is we have to do this together. I can help you, you need my help."

He held her tightly against him. Struggling with his own tears he stroked her hair and kissed her face, immersing himself in the moment and taking strength in it for the time ahead when he would be without her.

Taking a few deep breaths, he moved back from her. "Not this time princess, this time I gotta do it on my own." With that he turned and left.


	15. Chapter 15

Makepeace was dreading arriving at work the following morning. She had awoken half expecting a phone call from Dempsey. He had frequently telephoned her before work; to discuss the day ahead, the case they were working on, or, as it then it occurred to her, sometimes just to say good morning. She had cried herself to sleep that night and awoken feeling drained and confused. Nonetheless, through the haze of hurt and uncertainties she had at least come to realise that he had left for a reason that had nothing to do with their partnership, relationship or whatever it was that was between them at that point. He had asked her to trust him; he had said that she knew him more than anyone and her instincts told her that something was wrong for him to leave like that. Her pride had told her something quite different though; that she was kidding herself, that he had got bored with waiting for a physical relationship between them and that he had gone back to move on with his life. But after sufficient wallowing in self-pity an overwhelming concern for his safety had taken over and she had fallen asleep wracking her brains to find out why he was forced to return to New York.

The office that day was eerily quiet and it left her wondering what everyone else knew. Spikings was exceptionally low key, spending most of the time in his office with the door closed. Makepeace had begun the day determined to reassess the Golding case, convinced that it had something to do with Dempsey's departure but by lunchtime she was no closer to finding any answers. The background noises of the office, the laughing and the superficial chitchat, had begun to grate on her nerves. Did nobody notice that there was someone missing? Did nobody care?

Frustrated with her own shortcomings and angry with everyone around her she stormed into Spiking's office, demanding answers.

"Sir, I need to know what Dempsey said to you. What was his reason for leaving?"

Spikings lifted his head and contemplated her for a few long disconcerting moments. "He said that he had to go back, he couldn't tell me why but he was going. That's all I know."

"And you didn't push him for answers?" she came back.

"He wasn't in the mood for explanations Sergeant. I'm not his bloody keeper and we have no hold over him here now. He's free to go back when he wants to!" Spikings response came out a little more harshly than he had intended and the look of disappointment and betrayal on Makepeace's face cut him to the quick. "If it makes any difference to you Harry, he asked me to take care of you. He was…" Spikings struggled to get the following words out, "…concerned for you. I don't believe that he wanted to leave."

"Sir, this is what worries me. I think that it may have something to do with this case."

"Harry…" he began but was interrupted by Chas who popped his head around the door.

"Harry, there's someone on the phone for you. A woman…" Chas never got the opportunity to finish before Makepeace jumped up from her seat and bolted for the door.

"This is Sergeant Makepeace," she said as soon as she had picked up the receiver, praying that the caller had not hung up.

"Can we meet?" came the nervous reply.

"Where, at the park?"

"No, meet me at the country club where you saw us before. I'm there now. I have some information you are going to want," she said, hanging up.

As soon as Makepeace arrived at the hotel and country club she was hit with such an intense feeling of loss. The last time she had been on that terrace was with Dempsey when, ironically, he had lured her there under the pretence of a meeting with Samantha. She had protested so adamantly against the date, so much so that Dempsey had been forced to deny that it was a proper date at all. And yet he had been persistent, despite her aloofness, and the time she had spent with him had turned out to be one of the most memorable evenings of her life. These bitter sweet memories taunted her but they also gave her a strange sense of hope, for she reasoned that no man would go to so much trouble to be with a woman if he planned on leaving her only days later.

Samantha was sat with her back to Makepeace as she moved across the terrace and she only acknowledged Makepeace's presence with a slight nod of her head when she joined her at the table. As Samantha finished her coffee, tipping back the tiny espresso cup to drain its contents, Makepeace pondered on the woman's reasons for bringing her there. She looked guarded, wary, poised on the edge of something.

"You've stopped working on the investigation haven't you?" Samantha said suddenly.

Makepeace took in a deep breath and nodded. "If you don't want to loose your partner you have to see it through."

Makepeace's heart thudded. "Why does Golding want Dempsey gone? Is it because we were so close to uncovering the whole operation?" There were several holes in that theory and Makepeace knew it but she could see no other connection between Dempsey and Golding. Why would Golding want Dempsey gone as apposed to anyone else in SI10, including her?

Samantha closed her eyes and shook her head. "There's more to this than you realise. That attack on your department wasn't only to do with the political campaign; Golding was being pressured by someone else who wanted your partner dealt with."

"Pressured? By who?" Makepeace cut in, doubly concerned at the thought of the person that could put pressure on a man like Golding.

Samantha bypassed the question and continued with her explanation. "If the explosives had gone off then Golding would have killed two birds with one stone, any comeback from the political campaign and Dempsey into the bargain. But when this didn't happen not only was he obliged to do something fast about Dempsey but he had failed to cover up his tracks, leaving himself open to investigation. He couldn't risk taking Dempsey out himself and so he did the next best thing by sending him back to New York."

_At least he's safe now then._

Samantha cringed at the look of relief on Makepeace's face.

"No, you don't understand…"

"Excuse me for interrupting ladies but I have a message for you." The restaurant manager appeared from nowhere, addressing Samantha politely. Samantha looked up at him anxiously. "It appears that your young gentleman is waiting for you by the lake."

"But I told him to wait in the lobby," she said, almost to herself.

"Yes and that's the odd thing," the man continued, "because the message didn't come from your gentleman friend, it came from an older gentleman. A most disagreeable fellow too; he barked out orders to my staff and had them almost quaking in their boots at his aggressive tone."

"Golding's got Jack!" Samantha exclaimed in horror, jumping out of her seat. "And if he's got Jack and he's here then he knows about us!"

"Wait." Makepeace grabbed Samantha by the arm. "Let me call for back up first, we may need it." Samantha's face was contorted with anguish, she was torn, uncertain what to do next, but her gut instinct was to run to Jack.

"I need to go now," she panicked, twisting her arm out of Makepeace's grip. "Maybe I can reason with him. If I do what he says he might let Jack go."

"Come with me to the car. It will take minutes and then I'll cover you while back up is on its way."

Samantha hesitated for a second and then nodded. "Let's go."


	16. Chapter 16

After calling for back up Makepeace followed Samantha back around the building and they began their walk along the pathway through the grounds towards the lake. Both Makepeace and Samantha were silent during the walk, a mass of nerves and tensions as they moved closer to their destination. The sound of muffled chatter and the clinking of plates and glasses coming from the diners on the terrace gradually faded with each step they took, emphasising the distance they were putting between themselves and the hotel building. The path circumvented much of the golf course which stretched out as open land between themselves and the lake. Behind the lake was a dense wooded area and as Makepeace scanned the horizon she could make out little of what was beyond the water. From their position Makepeace felt alarmingly exposed and she reached hesitantly into her handbag for her firearm, pulling it out and concealing it behind her bag. As they approached the lake it was soon possible to make out the figure of a man who was standing facing the water, with his back to Samantha and Makepeace. Makepeace's heart thudded nervously the more they closed the gap and the longer they remained in the open; she was anxious to reach the scattering of trees near the banks of the lake which would at least offer them some sort of cover.

The first bullet exploded into the air, splitting the silence and sending sound waves reverberating around them. Makepeace reacted immediately, grabbing hold of Samantha's arm and dragging her towards the ground. When they both looked up they realised that the bullet had missed its target as the figure at the lake had turned and was running towards them, shouting out guttural, indistinguishable sounds. This was when the second bullet could be heard, only this time it hit its target, smashing into the man's scull and sending him toppling forward.

"Jack!" Makepeace cursed herself for not realising in time what Samantha was going to do. Scrambling up from the ground, she bolted towards the lifeless body of the man in front of them and that was when the third and final bullet shot through the air. Makepeace watched in horror as Samantha's body jolted and fell before her. Clambering across the ground between them, gun in hand, Makepeace reached Samantha who was lying on her back, blood seeping from behind her head. The only movement her body made was when her eyelids flitted upwards as Makepeace hovered above her. Then there was a sudden sharp intake of breath and her lips opened as if to speak although no sound came out.

"Stay still," Makepeace ordered, feeling utterly helpless as she held the back of Samantha's neck in a vain attempt at stopping the flow of blood. She looked out towards the lake but could see no indication of where the shots had been fired from.

"Dempsey..." Samantha managed to utter. Makepeace's head swung back to Samantha.

"What? What is it? What do you know?" Makepeace asked, her attention suddenly firmly focused on Samantha's face.

"Get him back...my father in New York...Coltrane. Coltrane…"

Makepeace felt the icy claws of panic grasping at her as she watched the life slipping out of Samantha's face. With a firm grasp on her gun she went to rise off the floor, heedless of the danger as Samantha's words echoed around her head. When she pushed her body up onto her hands however, her arms suddenly lost their strength and she found herself falling back towards the floor. Underneath her body her hands came into contact with a warm moistness and she rolled over onto her back to see evidence of Samantha's bullet wound smudged over the front of her blouse. It wasn't until she tried unsuccessfully for a second time to push herself off the floor that she realised that the blood covering her was not that of Samantha's; the first bullet had in fact found its target, the blood was hers.


	17. Chapter 17

**I have posted 3 new chapters today**

A cold numbness began to spread through Makepeace's body and she was only vaguely aware of the sudden commotion around her. There were more gunshots and a series of shouts and flashes of movement before she felt her head being lifted slightly off the ground. Her feeling of isolation and desperate hopelessness was dispelled then as she put her faith in the man with the strong, firm hands and the deep authoritative voice.

"She's still alive, get an ambulance. _Now_!"

"You're okay my girl, you're okay," Spikings said, resting her head on his legs and stroking her hair out of her face. "Is it on its way! _Is it on its bloody way man?"_

Makepeace looked up into his face and struggled to speak. "Sir, Dempsey…"

"He's all right, let's concentrate on getting you to hospital right now Harry."

"No, Sir. It's Coltrane...he's waiting for Dempsey in New York."

Spikings hesitated then, staring down at her with wavering eyes. "We'll get him back, now shhh."

"_Where's that damn ambulance?" _Spikings hollered. "Harry, don't close your eyes. Look at me." He continued to speak in a deep soothing voice, holding her attention with his words. "You know you are too damn good for all of this. You try to bring some humanity into this vile world of blood and corruption but you give too much girl. You risk too much and this world needs you in it, I need you in it and I'm damn certain that Dempsey needs you in it. You think about that, hmm, because he'll go to pieces without you. It'd kill him Harry. So you fight to stay with me now." Her eyes began to loose focus and he lifted her chin slightly, bending closer to speak to her. "You know Harry, lately I've had this picture in my head that I just can't seen to dispel. I've been imagining visiting you two in your country house you know, with...oh I don't know, perhaps a few smaller Dempseys and Harrys running around the garden playing cops and robbers… eh, can you see that hmm? Because I can see that. But you've got to stay with us my girl." A flicker of a smile could be seen on her face then. "We'll get him back. We've got Golding you know. Dempsey left to protect you from him. You've got to hang in there for us though because there'll be hell to pay if he finds out you got involved. He left you with me to keep you safe and…I can't help but think that I let you down…" Spikings looked up at the blood and chaos around them and the burden of responsibility fell heavy on his heart. He shook his head abruptly then, turning his attention back to Harry. "But he'll be back, if there's one thing I'm certain of it's that he'll be back. Because he cares about you Harry...no I mean he really cares. He doesn't know how to tell you though and that's why he's taking so bloody long to make you his. He's a damn fool! I know what you need to hear from him, its clear as day. But he can't see past his own insecurities because despite being a bloody loud mouthed, arrogant Yank, he looks at you and he cant imagine that someone like you would feel enough for him to risk letting you know just how much he cares." A lone tear spilt out of her eye and slid slowly down her face. "I know Harry, but when we get you better I'm going to make sure that he gets his bloody Yankee act together because you deserve to be happy. If there's any justice at all in this damn world you'll get your dreams my girl, my Harry. So you fight to stay with me now. Do you hear me? And that's an order."

She felt the soothing touch of his hands stroking her face and the heat from his body transmitted from him to her, bringing her warmth and comfort as she fought to keep from falling into an empty abyss.


	18. Chapter 18

The paramedics arrived and moved Makepeace onto a stretcher. There was a lot of noise and people and commotion around her but through it all she could make out only one reassuring sound, the deep authoritative sound of Spikings's voice. When they moved her she remembered thinking that it should have hurt but she felt no pain, just a strange numbness throughout her whole body.

Once in the ambulance she began to slip in and out of consciousness. Words fell out of her mouth randomly; she had no idea what she was saying or what Spikings was saying back to her. She felt her hand enveloped in his and she held onto it as if it were her only lifeline. His face hovered and swam above hers and then there was darkness and silence.

When she was next aware of the world her surroundings were a lot quieter and the first sound she heard was again Spikings's voice. The lights above her seemed excessively bright and she squinted as their luminance hurt her eyes.

"You're going to be okay Harry. Rest some more if you need to."

She had wanted to hear that for she felt exhausted and incapable of focusing properly, let alone holding a conversation. She shut out the annoying lights and closed her eyes once more, drifting off into a deep sleep.

It was the pain in her side that brought her out of her sleep the next time. It cut through her unconsciousness and forced her to open her eyes.

"Are you all right Harry? Would you like me to get a doctor?" Spikings asked.

_My god, he's still here! How long have I been asleep?_

She shook her head. "No, I'm okay…I think."

"You slept for a long time. Perhaps I've been overworking you," Spikings said with a touch of humour.

"You Sir…never," she smiled.

_That's my Harry. She's making jokes so she must be okay._

"You had me worried for while there Harry. But you're going to be okay now," he said, more as a reassurance to himself than to her.

A shadow crossed her face then. "Samantha?…Jack?"

Spikings shook his head. She had hoped but she knew at the time that it was too late for them.

"Oh my god! Dempsey!" she said suddenly, as her head cleared and her memory returned. She moved suddenly with the shock of realisation and a pain shot through her side.

"He's okay," Spikings said quickly, watching her with concern and exaggerating what he really knew. To all intents and purposes he should have been okay but Spikings couldn't be entirely sure until he received the phone call he had been waiting on tender hooks for. "I've spoken to the department in New York and they've assured me that Dempsey will be picked up the moment he arrives there."

"But..." she began, straining to sit up.

He put a hand on her arm and urged her not to move. "They have it under control."

"But what if..." she tried to speak again.

"He should be there in the next hour. I'll phone to check they have him," he said frowning when he took in the paleness of her face. "And in the meantime I think I'll get that doctor to check you over again."

The doctors poked and prodded and made notes in their files but Dempsey was her only concern. Not only that but Spikings had not shown his face for a while now and that fact bothered her. Dempsey should have landed over two hours ago at least. Spikings was avoiding her and she dreaded to think why. She had tried to question the nurses and requested that they pass on any messages from her superior but no such messages had arrived.

Spikings sat in the hospital waiting room wringing his hands together and waiting on the off chance for a phone call to confirm Dempsey's whereabouts. He had been furious when he had heard that the officers had missed Dempsey. Did they not realise the urgency of the situation? He thought that he had made that very clear! He stood up suddenly and headed for the vending machine, slotting in some change and punching the button for yet another paper cup of chemical tasting coffee. He waited impatiently for the cup to drop but nothing appeared and he lost his patience, thumping the machine with an angry fist.

_Damn the coffee, I'm getting some answers. Bloody NYPD, I could do a better job by myself!_

The receptionist didn't know what had hit her when Spikings stormed up to the desk and demanded to use the phone again.

"Well that makes sense," he said into the receiver with some relief but no less impatience. "So I'm assuming that if he wasn't on the flight in the first place that you have contacted Heathrow airport. I tell you what leave it to me, it's obviously beyond your capabilities!" he raged, slamming down the phone.

After several frustrating phone calls to Heathrow airport during which Spikings was transferred and put on hold on numerous occasions, he eventually got the answers he was looking for. Dempsey had not turned up for the midday flight but he had booked himself on another flight departing that evening. Whatever the hell was going on at least Spikings could stop him from boarding the plane in the first place now. And now finally he had something positive to report to Makepeace.


	19. Chapter 19

**I have posted another chapter before this one tonight.**

Makepeace sat staring out of the window of her hospital room, a pained look on her face.

_Where the hell is he?_

The nurse had informed her that morning that Spikings had not wanted to disturb her sleep last night but that he wanted her to know that Dempsey had not taken the later flight either. It was not known where he was but he most definitely was not in New York. She felt so helpless stuck in that hospital bed when she wanted so desperately to find him. Picking up a magazine from her bedside table, she flicked mindlessly through the pages before eventually throwing it down in frustration.

Moments later there was a knock on the door and Spikings entered, pausing at the doorway with a grin on his face. She froze when she saw his expression, holding her breath in expectation of what he was going to say next.

"It would seem that my office last night was used as a doss house for down and outs…well one down and out in particular, and a Yankee one at that!" he smiled, stepping aside to reveal a rather dishevelled looking Dempsey.

"Hiya Harry, miss me?"

Her face was a picture of surprise, delight and relief. "Dempsey! Thank god!" Dempsey's face broke out into a broad smile as he entered the room. He had only one thought and that was to head for Harry, however he paused after the first few steps and turned back to see Spikings stood there watching him.

_Okay thanks boss, now you can go…_

Spikings raised an eyebrow.

_Now would be good… A bit of time alone with her would be nice! Damn!_

After an awkward silence, during which time Dempsey realised that Spikings wasn't planning on leaving the room, he groaned inwardly and approached Makepeace, bending to kiss her on the cheek. He felt the smile that crept across her face as his lips brushed her skin. She felt soft and warm and she smelt wonderful. He hesitated longer than he had planned to and gave into temptation, moving his mouth to her ear to whisper, "I'm dyin' to kiss you. When's he gonna leave?" He moved away from her and she shrugged, trying to hide her smile. He took a seat on a chair beside her bed.

"How are you feeling today Harry?" Spikings asked. "You look…" he assessed her and nodded with a serious expression, "…almost human again." He put his hand on the doorknob. "Make sure she doesn't over exert herself," he said to Dempsey before leaving the room.

"Thank god you're okay. I was worried sick about you partner. Where were you?" Makepeace asked.

Some of the initial pleasure of first seeing her again drained out of his face then as he contemplated his response.

He sighed loudly. "I messed up Harry, big time." It was a difficult admission for him to make, especially to her, and especially under those circumstances.

"Well you're not in New York, you're sat here…alive I might add! So you can't have messed up that much," she said cheerily, trying to make light of the situation.

"I wasn't talkin' about me, I was talkin' about you," he replied, running his hands over his face. He suddenly felt utterly exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Harry watched him with concern. "What's wrong? What are you talking about?"

He avoided eye contact with her and stared out of the window with a far away expression. "I had your life in my hands…and I didn't know what to do," he said, holding up an empty hand and clenching it into a fist.

She was adamant in her response; she wasn't going to let him take the blame for this. "You didn't have my life in your hands," she contradicted him, "that murdering bastard did when he opened fire on us!"

He continued as if he hadn't heard her at all. "I got to the airport and I realised that I didn't have a clue what I was doin' so I booked myself on a later flight, figurin' that I would have more time to think things through. I drove around for hours, don't even know where I went, but I couldn't pull it together. My first thought was that I was crazy puttin' my trust in a man like that, I mean how'd I know he wouldn't come after you anyway? So I figured that I should stay and stick with you, make sure he never came near you. But then with a guy like that you just never know, and I couldn't be with you twenty-four seven. He said there was only one way you'd be safe and it was down to me, depended on how much I cared about my partner. But either way it seemed like a risk and I just couldn't think properly. I mean I've always gone with my gut instincts, I've always been able to read the situation…but I couldn't this time…I didn't know what to do," he repeated helplessly.

"Look, it was an impossible decision to make for anybody. You did what you thought best at the time," she reassured him.

"Yeah, but that's just it! I didn't do nothin'…and this was the result," he said, gesturing to her.

"Oh come on Dempsey, we face dangers like this every day we turn up for work. Nobody could have predicted what was going to happen!"

"I should have been with you," he snapped, unconsciously venting his anger and frustration on her.

"Right, and if you had been there you'd have been shot too. Where's the sense in that?"

"You wouldn't have been shot if I'd have been there," he replied with gritted teeth.

"Oh I see, so you're saying that I didn't do my job properly. That you'd have done things differently," she accused him.

He didn't want this. He didn't want to argue with her so he bit back the reply that sprung to his lips.

She watched his expression and his silence angered her. "I called for back up Dempsey! And besides it was just going to be a simple meeting between Samantha and I."

"Why didn't you wait for back up then?" He knew that he shouldn't continue with this conversation and that he was probably being unfair but his fear for her safety and his own guilt pushed him on. "You were way too exposed. You should never have gone near that lake."

She answered him with barely controlled anger. "Samantha wasn't prepared to wait for back up to arrive; I just about managed to persuade her to wait for me to make the call! What would you have me do, leave her to go to the lake alone?"

His eyes glittered back. "If she wouldn't wait then yes! It never made any difference you bein' there anyway, did it?"

She stared at him furiously, at a loss for words. "Well thank you Dempsey, you can leave now. I really don't think that this is doing my recovery any good."

He realised that he had gone too far but irrationally her rejection of him hurt and angered him further.

"Fine, if you want me to leave I'll leave!" he said, standing up abruptly and striding out of the room.

She sat in the bed and seethed, wanting desperately to storm after him and give him another piece of her mind. Moments later however he opened the door and remerged.

"Oh what now?" she grated out.

"I forgot somethin'," he said, striding angrily towards her.

"What?" she growled.

"This," he said, putting firm hands on either side of her face and kissing her soundly on the lips. He took her by surprise for a moment and she sat motionless in shock as his lips moved on hers. Then she came to her senses and outrage ensued.

_How dare he! Does he really imagine that I'll just fall into his arms after all he's just said?_

She went to turn her head away and was further incensed when she realised that he had no intention of letting her do so. She put up her hands and pushed at his chest to move him back but he simply brushed away her hands and continued with the onslaught. His body was like an impassable wall in front of her and the longer the kiss went on, the more that impassable wall pressed itself to her. She struggled in vain against him but that only seemed to make their close proximity more evident as her body moved against his. She was livid with him, and with her own inability to stop him. It was perhaps partly her anger that sparked off other feelings that slowly began to emerge from somewhere inside her and that anger, without her consent, began to metamorphize into excitement. She felt it in him too and, to her horror, just knowing that aroused her further. Her mind wasn't functioning anymore; her body was taking over.

She made another attempt at pushing him away, raising her hands to his shoulders, but the action was half hearted and they both knew it. Dempsey knew it enough to release her head and hold her hands down, continuing the kiss as he did so. She was slow to react but now she had the opportunity to move her face away from his demanding mouth so she turned her head sideways. Her face was flooded with colour and he thought to himself that he'd never seen her looking sexier as he followed her movement and placed his lips on hers again. She immediately twisted her head to the other side but he followed her once more. It soon became clear that which ever way she turned he would be there, catching her lips in his and breaking down her willpower further. The moment she stilled he knew that she wasn't going to stop him anymore and he lightened the kisses, teasing her in the way that he knew she couldn't resist. His mouth hovered so close to hers, his warm breath mingling with hers and she suddenly wanted more. She opened her mouth to him and the kiss that followed was slow and deliberately sensual. He was beginning to know what she enjoyed, how to give her the most pleasure, how she wanted to be kissed and touched. He ran his hands through her hair, over her shoulders and down her back, pushing her closer to him. She shuddered underneath his touch and gave herself up to the intense sensations he was creating. He took hold of her hands and placed them on his shoulders before reclaiming his hold on her. It was pointless trying to fight her need for him and she slid her hands to his neck, up into his hair, back to his shoulders and over his back. He groaned and the sound filled her with elation, she could arouse him as much as he could arouse her. He began to feel his control slip, he wanted more, so much more, and he wanted it now!

_God, what am I doing? This is aint really the place! _

He tore his lips away from hers and moved back slightly, grabbing her torturous hands and holding them away from him. She twisted them out of his grip and glared up into his face. He smiled nonetheless as his eyes moved from hers to her lips and back once more. He couldn't stop himself and on impulse her reached for her again, cupping her face in his hands and covering it with feather light kisses.

"You're a bastard," she mumbled, still not immune to his kisses.

"Hmm," he agreed shamelessly, running kisses down her cheek.

"I could kill you," she added.

He chuckled. "You'll have to get in line with everyone else."

She couldn't help but laugh with him. "Dempsey," she said quietly, nuzzling her face against his.

"Hmm."

"Spikings said for you to make sure that I didn't over exert myself!"

He laughed loudly at that and moved back to take a look at her. "You're not gonna faint on me are you?"

She tutted. "No, you're not that good!"

He grinned. "Oh I _am_ that good. You'll see."

She growled at him, picking up a pillow that had slipped from behind her and flinging it into his face.


	20. Chapter 20

Makepeace grew more and more annoyed the longer she waited for Dempsey to arrive. He had insisted on driving her home from the hospital and even though numerous friends and family members had offered to collect her she had accepted his offer, to shut him up more than anything else. Ever since he had admitted the previous day that he had 'messed up big time' she had been forced to endure what seemed like every waking moment with him in the small hospital room. Okay, he had left her a few times for the doctors to perform their checks however just when she thought that he'd gone home and she might get a few minutes peace to think, he had turned up again. Not that she wasn't pleased to see him, in fact she had been overcome with relief that he hadn't taken that flight to New York, but now that he was back he seemed hell bent on making things up to her. She was at a loss to understand why; there was nothing for him to make up for. Nonetheless, he had popped out and returned with the largest bouquet of flowers, the most indulgent box of chocolates and all number of other peace offerings. She had assumed that was what they were as it wasn't usually his way to shower her with gifts, not to this extent anyway. And every time he had opened the door, peace offering in hand, he had a look on his face as if he was extremely proud and impressed with himself. Still, in the end she wasn't sure if he was actually thinking of her or if he'd set himself the challenge of excelling everyone else in the gifts department.

Even worse was that Dempsey had absolutely no regard for hospital rules and regulations. He would barge into her room whenever he felt like it, it didn't matter who else was visiting or if the hospital allowed visitors at that time or not. She was certain that he had either bribed or managed to sweet talk the nurse into letting him in so often. Then there was the issue of personal space; he didn't let her have any. He would stride straight up to her bed and settle himself on the edge only to nudge her over moments later, kicking off his shoes and swinging his feet up. This turned into a routine to the extent that after the first couple of times she simply gave up and moved across the bed when she saw him coming. Then there would follow a period during which he would play doctor, announcing that he had to check her all over for any signs of a relapse. He'd try his hardest to get under her covers, she'd scold him and threaten to call the nurse so he'd reconsider, turn on the TV and he was there for the duration!

She had to admit though at times he was quite sweet but what she really needed was time to collect her thoughts. In the space of only a couple of days she'd gone from him returning to New York, to thinking that he was dead, to having Spikings announce that he was missing and then this! She didn't know what she wanted anymore. Jobwise or Dempseywise. And Spikings wasn't much help either. He'd insisted that she take more time off work than she really wanted to, getting back to everyday life would have been a relief, and not only that but he seemed to be so uncharacteristically disillusioned with the force lately. Dempsey wasn't any better. Just the mention of work would bring back that anxious look and send him out on another mission for flowers and chocolates! What the hell was going on?

She needed to get home, she needed a bath and she needed to get her life back! And yet she was stuck there waiting for Dempsey when she could have already been home by now!

_That's it; I've had enough! I'm ringing for a bloody taxi!_

Rising out of the chair she moved down the corridor in search of a payphone.

"What you doin?' came a voice from behind her as she stood in front of the phone.

She didn't have to look; she knew who it was, but by that time she had worked herself up into a frenzy. She busied herself with finding some change in her handbag to make the call.

"I'm phoning a taxi," she said simply.

"No need to do that. I said I'd pick you up," he replied, moving to take the receiver off her.

She snatched it away from him. "Well thanks again for the offer Dempsey but funnily enough I got tired of waiting so now I'm phoning for a taxi. At least it will turn up when it says it will!"

"What you talkin' about, I'm here aint I?" He watched as she tried to push the coin in the slot but failed when it fell out of her hand and onto the floor. He bent immediately to pick it up.

"You're late," she stated, holding out her hand for the coin.

He actually looked flummoxed for a moment. "No I aint, it's…" he looked at his watch, hesitated and then answered not too convincingly, "two thirty."

"No it's not Dempsey and you know it!" she said, pushing her hand towards him and glaring at the ten pence coin he was still holding.

"All right, it's two forty," he replied defensively. She glared at him. "Ten minutes Harry! What's a lousy ten minutes?"

She stared at him in disbelief. "I wanted to get home Dempsey! I could be home now if I hadn't…what the hell was I thinking… accepted a lift from you!"

He didn't like the look on her face. He'd seen it before and she was close to boiling point.

"Well, I'm here now," he said, reaching for the receiver again, "so let's just go eh."

She kept a firm grip on the receiver, holding it close to her chest. "No, I'm getting a taxi," she said defiantly.

He paused for a moment. "Don't be ridiculous. C'mon my car's outside, let's go."

"No. You're too late…and anyway I don't want a lift from you now. I'll make my own way home."

His face dropped when he began to suspect that she actually meant it. "C'mon Harry, I'm here now. I came to take you home. The traffic was bad, I'd have only been five minutes late if the traffic hadn't been so bad."

"You _could_ have been early. Ever thought of that Dempsey?" She stood in front of him, eyes glistening with anger and hands on her hips. She was unbearably sexy when she was feisty like that but he had to keep his mind on the task in hand. He had to persuade her to go with him and if he wasn't careful they'd end up at each other's throats again.

"I know, I could have… but…it's just that I…" he was a drowning man; the only thing he could do was appeal for mercy. He held out his hands to her. "…I apologise. C'mon Harry, let me get you home."

_Damn it! He's being reasonable._

"Fine. But if you'd thought you weren't going to make it on time you could have let someone else take me home," she added to emphasise her point.

He thought it best not to reply and helped her out of the hospital and into his car instead.


	21. Chapter 21

They spent most of the journey back to her house in silence. However once they had arrived and she let them in Dempsey sat down on the sofa, picked up a newspaper and began to natter on incessantly about nothing in particular. He seemed agitated about something, even anxious, but Makepeace was beyond trying to figure out his odd behaviour since he had turned up at the hospital the previous day. She was tired and she wanted time to herself. She found herself wandering into the kitchen, leaving him in the lounge prattling on about the rate of inflation and the dumb headline stories in UK newspapers.

She slid onto a kitchen chair and gazed out of the window, contemplating the current state of her life. She had been shot. She hadn't really had time to dwell on the fact until then, firstly because she had been out of her mind with concern for Dempsey, and secondly because of the constant stream of people who had visited her in the hospital. But now she was faced with the reality of it. Would her life have amounted to all that she'd hoped for if she had died by that lake? For the past god know how many years she had dedicated herself to her job and she had thought that it made her happy but now she wasn't so sure. But what would she do if she gave up the force? She had experienced a little of what it might be like when she resigned some months ago but she had been miserable. It wasn't as if she didn't have other options but police work had become such a huge part of her life that she didn't really know how to go forward without it. She had lost touch with many of her old friends, most of whom had married and got families of their own now anyway. What had she got? A failed marriage and a job that had very nearly cost her her life. And then there was Dempsey. He was just as obsessed with police work as she was, perhaps even more so, but what had he got out of it? He couldn't even return to his own country. And Spikings. To see the look on his face lately was almost heartbreaking. He had devoted his whole life to the force and now he was talking about retirement as a welcome relief. Is that how she wanted to end up? Was it all worth it? What was she going to do? As she sat there she tried to picture her life without the force but she saw a big empty nothing. And yet conversely she also had a disturbingly dismal picture of a future if she stayed.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Dempsey was stood at the kitchen door staring at her with an odd expression.

She hadn't even realised that she'd been crying until she looked down and felt the dampness on her hands which were clenched on the kitchen table. She looked across at Dempsey briefly and then turned to stared back out of the window. She was too tired to talk and yet the tears continued to flow. Dempsey approached her hesitantly and took a seat next to her, completely at a loss what to say or do. She sat there in total silence with tears pouring out of her eyes.

"Say somethin' Harry. For god sake rant and rave and tell me I'm a bastard but say somethin'."

She swung her head to him suddenly then. "Damn it Dempsey for the last time it wasn't your fault that I got shot so will you stop with the guilt thing because it's driving me round the bend!"

He looked taken aback then and there was a momentary flicker of pain across his face before he checked himself and his eyes turned cold and emotionless. She felt utterly wretched, with herself, with him and with the world in general. Standing up suddenly she moved away from him to the window and put her arms around herself, attempting to take away the awful aching, empty feeling inside of her. He wanted more than anything to go to her then but he had the feeling that being there was only making matters worse. That hurt him too. In fact he could never have imagined feeling the kind of hurt he'd experienced over the last couple of days but he had to put Harry first now and she most obviously didn't want him there. He stood to leave and she saw him move to the door from the corner of her eyes.

"Dempsey…"

He paused and turned. He could see her body shaking as she tried to hold in her sobs.

"Dempsey, will you just tell me that everything is going to be all right and make me believe it?"

She was sobbing now in earnest and it was all the encouragement he needed. Walking up to her he turned her around and pulled her to him. He held her tightly around the waist with one arm whilst the other moved up her back and held her head against his shoulder. She moved her head slightly and buried her face in his neck, holding onto his shirt as if her life depended on it.

"Hey look Harry, what happened to you, what happened to us both, it sucks. It sucks big time, I'm talkin' major sucking goin' on here…" She let out a cross between a sob and a laugh. "…but we can figure things out. Maybe things are changing, maybe that's not a bad thing, maybe we've diced with death enough for one lifetime. I dunno. But we can sit down an' talk about this another time 'cause what I do know is that you've had one hell of a shock to your system and you can't deal with everythin' all at once." He put his hands around her face and lifted her head up to look at her. Her eyes darted away as she tried to control the tears and he sighed, pulling her back to him and kissing her face. "It _will_ be all right Harry. I'm gonna make sure of that," he whispered. "You do believe me, don't you?" He pulled back slightly to look at her reaction. She nodded her head and he smiled. "I know what you need."

She didn't look convinced. "Please no more flowers or chocolates!"

He grimaced. "I guess I went a bit overboard with them didn't I?"

"Mmm, just a bit!"

"Yeah well, now I really do know what you want," he said confidently.

"And what's that then Dempsey?"

"A cuppa cha and a baaath."

"A what?"

"Sure, it's what all you Brits want in a time of crisis aint it?"

She shook her head at him and laughed. "Think you should leave the tea to me Dempsey, I've tried your attempts at tea making before remember?"

"Yeah, you could be right. Tell you what, you make the tea and I'll run the bath for you. How 'bout that?" he said, kissing her on the forehead before darting through the door and up the stairs. She watched him go with bewilderment. He was still acting strangely.

She made herself a mug of tea and took it upstairs with her to the bathroom where Dempsey had run her a bath. He stood by the door and gestured for her to enter.

"Your bath awaits you maam."

She laughed at the sight of the bath which was just visible under a mountain of bubbles. "Is there actually any water in there?"

He frowned. "Yeah. But you gotta fill it up to…well you know," he made a few vague hand gestures, "…get all your bits underneath."

She bit back the laughter. "Right. Well thank you Dempsey." She waited for him to go but he failed to move. "You can go now." He stared at her and remained leaning against the doorframe. "Dempsey," she emphasised the following words slowly for him, "thank you for the lift home and for running the bath for me but now you can go."

"Yeah…err," he looked awkward for a moment. "…I was goin' to mention somethin' earlier but…"

She watched him suspiciously. "But what?"

"Well, I was kinda hopin'…that is I had planned, well not exactly planned but…"

"Dempsey will you stop beating about the bush because my bath is getting cold."

"Yeah sorry. Well the thing is Harry," she was convinced that she wasn't going to like what was to follow, "you know that I was gonna go back to New York?"

"Yes."

"Well I kinda figured that I wouldn't be needin' my apartment no more." Now she knew she wasn't going to like it. "So now I aint got nowhere to stay."

"Oh no! You can't stay here," she said immediately.

"C'mon Harry, I just need somewhere to stay for tonight."

"Well where did you stay last night? Why can't you stay there?"

"I didn't exactly stay anywhere last night."

"What do you mean you 'didn't stay anywhere?' You must have stayed somewhere."

"Well, after seein' you I kinda thought I'd stay there, you know in case you needed me."

"What?" she was looking at him as if he'd lost his mind. "Are you telling me that you slept in the hospital last night?"

"I didn't really get much sleep but yeah. Hey look, I was concerned about my partner all right!"

She didn't believe that was the reason he had slept at the hospital, but then she also couldn't really think of an alternative reason either. "Well it's still early. You still have time to find somewhere today."

"Yeah but the thing is Harry, I've found somewhere," his face brightened up in an attempt at looking positive.

She smiled a fake smile that told him she knew that wasn't the end of it. "Good."

"But," his face dropped, "I can't move in until tomorrow."

"Oh really. You know what Dempsey, I don't think you've found anywhere at all." He went to interrupt her but she spoke over him. "But you will Dempsey, you will, because by tomorrow if you haven't you're going to find yourself sleeping on a park bench, in a doorway or on the street for all I care! One night Dempsey and that's it," she finished, pushing him out of the doorway, moving into the bathroom and slamming the door shut behind her.

"I also thought I could look after you tonight, since you _have_ just come out of hospital," he shouted through the locked door.

"Go away Dempsey!"

"I was only thinkin' of you partner," he stressed.

"Haven't you got a park bench to be looking for?"

All went quiet and then she heard the stairway creak as he moved back down the stairs.

_At bloody last!_

She sunk gratefully into the hot water with a sigh. Then she heard an odd noise and looked over the bath to see streams of soapsuds overflowing onto the floor. She tutted but didn't have the energy to do anything about it. She made a decision to clear her mind completely. Dempsey was right; she didn't have to deal with everything all at once. She lay there with her eyes closed, letting the water soothe her aching body. Then suddenly a picture popped into her head of Dempsey sprawled out on a park bench, his legs dangling over the edge. She chuckled but then sobered.

_I'm not thinking of him, I'm not thinking of anything._

But it wasn't long before Dempsey's words entered her head, 'A cuppa cha and a baaath.' She could feel the laughter building up inside her and she shook her head at the ridiculousness if the situation, Dempsey turning up late, the look of panic on his face when he thought she was going to take a taxi and… the bloody flowers and chocolates! She threw her head back as the laughter took over and slid down the bath, disappearing underneath the mountain of bubbles.


	22. Chapter 22

When she got out of the bath an hour later she felt relaxed, revitalised and altogether more like her usual self. Making her way into her bedroom she opened a drawer and pulled out a nightdress, slipping it on and reaching for her robe. Then she remembered that Dempsey was downstairs and she sighed. She really just felt like lounging on her sofa today and she didn't want to have to worry about what she was wearing or if his roving eye would move to the edge of her robe and pick up on the fact that she had little on underneath. She tightened the tie of her robe and pulled a blanket off her bed, throwing it around her shoulders before descending the stairs.

When she entered her lounge she was surprised to see that Dempsey wasn't there.

_Good! He must have realised that I was serious about throwing him out tomorrow and gone to find himself somewhere to live!_

She went to her bookcase, chose a book to read and curled up on her sofa under the warmth of the blanket.

She wasn't sure how much later it was when she heard the front door open but she felt extremely drowsy and struggled to open her eyes. When she was finally able to focus she saw Dempsey standing above her, a soft smile on his face.

"Hiya princess, you managed to get some rest then."

She struggled to sit up but he gestured for her to lie back down. "Yes but I shouldn't really need it. I don't know why I'm so tired, resting is all I seem to have done over the last couple of days."

"Yeah but your body has had a big shock, it needs the rest. It also probably needs this," he said holding up some brown takeaway bags. "You haven't eaten for a while."

She glanced at them with some uncertainty. "I'm not sure that I feel very hungry to be honest Dempsey."

"You will once you get eatin', it's good food too," he said, making his way into the kitchen in search of plates and cutlery. He came back and handed her a plate of food before sitting next to her to enjoy his own. She sat up on the sofa and took the plate, looking at it in surprise. She had expected some cheap American fast food but she was presently surprised.

"It's good food Harry," Dempsey repeated. "I brought it from one of my favourite Italian restaurants out here. They don't usually do take outs but I managed to persuade them to, you know, since it was for a good cause. Now it aint as good as my mother's homemade spaghetti and meatballs but it's pretty damn close," he said, digging in.

She smiled. "Your favourite food."

He was pleased that she had remembered but he was even more pleased to see her enjoying her first mouthful. After all, this was no ordinary spaghetti and meatballs. In fact if he didn't know better he would have said that his very own mother had spoken to Mrs Moretti at the restaurant and given her the recipe herself!

"I guess I was hungry after all," she said, placing her empty plate down on the side table next to her.

"Guess you couldn't resist eh," he grinned. He leant across and put his plate on top of hers. "I was gonna make some for you myself but …well I figured you could do with your own space for a bit."

Her eyes moved to his and studied him for a moment. He was being really sweet; she had to admit it. In fact he'd shown her more consideration over the last few days, or come to think of it weeks, than he had ever shown her. She wondered why. Perhaps it was because he had wanted to butter her up for a date, or perhaps in the last few days it was because he was going through this guilty stage. She thought for a moment. Perhaps she was being altogether way too suspicious of him and she should accept his kindness for what it was. "Considerin' that we're goin' to be spendin' the night together," he finished. Perhaps not!

"I suppose it goes some way to making up for the fact that you turned up late for me today," she reminded him.

"Ah, c'mon Harry, ten minutes was all it was!"

"Hmm," she narrowed her eyes at him.

"You're so much damn hard work at times you know Harry!" he came out with suddenly.

_Woa, calm down!_

Perhaps that had come out a bit more harshly than he had intended.

"I'm sorry," he said reluctantly when he saw her shocked expression.

"Okay, I might not have been very gracious about the fact that you drove me home," she admitted, "but I did accept your kind offer in the end," she said, trying to appease him, "_and_ I _am_ providing you with a roof over your head for tonight don't forget. Two out of three ain't bad."

She had said it without thinking. She didn't really know where it had come from but his reaction had unnerved her. He sat there staring at her with such an odd expression.

"I didn't know you listened to that kinda music," he said.

She was lost. What was he talking about? "Music?"

"Meatloaf. I didn't know that it had reached here yet," he replied, watching her with those ever-inquisitive eyes.

"Oh, yes I think it has. My friend Angela seems to like it anyway."

He continued to stare at her, his eyes searching hers disconcertingly. She couldn't work out what it meant. She couldn't work him out at all lately.

"Oh yeah."

"Yes." Now she was beginning to feel on the defensive. "You remember Angela, you met her that night you came to Stingfellows. You seemed to get on quite well."

"Oh yeah, we did."

He wasn't giving anything away but he was still staring at her, his eyes refusing to budge.

She wavered. "Well, I think it's time for me to go to bed. You'll be all right on here won't you?"

She'd half expected some sort of comment from him concerning going to bed. Some kind of comment at least. Where was the comment?

"Yeah, I'll be fine," he said matter of factly.

"Okay, well… here, you can take this," she said, handing him the blanket.

"Sure." His eyes were almost hostile as he took the blanket off her.

_What the hell is wrong with him?_

"Night," she said as she moved towards the doorway. He didn't reply.

As she slowly ascended the stairs her mind was filled with confusion at his abrupt change in mood. What had she said? She entered the bathroom and went through her nighttime routine but her head was buzzing with unanswered questions. Moving into her bedroom she took off her robe, climbed into bed and turned the light out, staring at the ceiling and trying to suppress the mixed emotions she was feeling. She didn't like the one emotion which seemed to be surfacing above the rest. Dare she admit to herself that she was feeling disappointment? Why would she be feeling that?

Over the last week Dempsey had paid her so much attention and she was forced to acknowledge the fact that she enjoyed it. He wanted her…badly, and she knew it. She skipped over the fact that she also wanted him and focused on how his attitude had affected her. Lately she had his attention in a way that she hadn't before. She was foremost in his mind and she liked that. She had always known that there was an attraction between them but she hadn't kidded herself that there weren't other women also in his head. Now however she actually believed that he wanted her and her alone. She was certain of that after how much trouble he had gone to to simply get her on a date. She was even more certain of it the following morning considering their telephone conversation and when his eyes had been constantly on her. But why was she so thrilled with all this attention from him? It's not as if she was an attention seeker normally. But from him it made her feel…excited, light hearted, aroused, and even more profound emotions…cherished, wanted. Attention from him was like a drug to her, intensely enjoyable when she had it but unbelievably anti climatic when she didn't. And now, for some reason, she didn't. He'd gone cold on her. Why? It was something to do with bloody Meatloaf, what the bloody hell had Meatloaf got to do with anything? She had to find out. It was crazy but she just had to know.

Reaching across to her bedside table she picked up the telephone and dialled a number.

"Angela, hi it's Harry here."

"Harry," she replied enthusiastically, "Hellooo."

_Hmm, sounds like she's been on the wine._

She heard music and laughter in the background.

"Am I disturbing you?" Harry asked.

"No, don't be silly. So you're home now then. How are you feeling sweetie?"

"Oh a bit sore and a bit tired but I'm doing fine considering."

"You're a tough cookie. But do me a favour and be more bloody careful next time will you?"

"Yes, I will. Listen Angela I have a question to ask you. It's going to sound a bit strange but will you answer it without asking any questions?"

"Wow, it sounds unbelievably intriguing darling. Fire away."

"There's an American band that you like, you are always singing their songs, Meatloaf it's called."

"Yes, it's all the rage… in certain circles anyway. But I thought you didn't like that kind of music, what's the sudden interest?"

"Well it's just one song that I'm interested in. I need to know the words."

"Which song?"

"It's something like, 'two out of three ain't bad.' Is that right?"

"Yes, well done sweetie. You remembered."

"Sooo? What comes before that then?"

Angela laughed loudly into the receiver. "Are you asking me to sing to you Harry?"

"No, just tell me the words."

Angela wasn't listening; she was speaking to the other people in the room. "Harry, it's okay, I've got my backing group here to help me sing." The following words came out as a loud chanting sound from the people which were obviously crowded around the phone. "All I can do, is keep on tellin' you…I want you, I want you, I need you, I need you, but there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you…now don't be sad, don't be sad…cause two out of three ain't bad." They finished on a loud crescendo followed by the thunderous sound of applause.

Harry on the other hand went completely silent and stared at the wall in horror.

_I didn't mean to intimate that! No, but he can't have been upset with me just because of that, surely. Was he?_

"Thanks Angela," she said quickly into the phone before hanging up.

_Okay it must have sounded off, like a dig at him or something. I don't know. God, I suppose I've been a bit cold towards him…at the hospital and…other times. He always says that I'm cold. I don't mean to be. Damn it!_

She threw back the covers, got out of bed and pulled on her robe. Standing at the top of the stairs, she took a deep breath and began her descent.


	23. Chapter 23

Makepeace re-entered the lounge, walked around the sofa and stood looking down at Dempsey who was sat with his feet up under the blanket, sipping a mug of coffee. He looked up at her with cold, hard eyes. She paused for a moment before sitting down at the other end of the sofa and contemplating how to continue. They both stared at each other in silence for a while before she spoke.

"I don't think I have expressed to you how much I appreciate that you were there for me in the hospital, or that you drove me home, or that you're here now." His expression wavered for a moment but there was still a lot of hostility in his eyes. "I mean it Dempsey. The problem is," she sighed and turned her eyes away from him, "I haven't been used to wanting someone around for a very long time." She studied her fingernail in great detail as she said the following words. "I'm finding this hard to even admit to myself but I need you here…I want you here…and in my life." She risked a glance at him. He was watching her intently but he remained silent. She fiddled with the edge of the blanket and continued. "I suppose it became blatantly obvious to me when you came here the night before you were leaving for New York."

He suddenly broke his silence. "As I remember you were concerned for my safety."

She lifted one end of the blanket up and covered herself with it. "Well yes but…that's not all there is to it."

"Then what?" he asked.

Her voice became louder, her words filled with more emotion. "I didn't want you to go…out of my life…bye bye Dempsey. We'd never work on a case together again, never have stupid arguments again, never…" she petered out.

He wanted more. "Never what?"

She had to say more but she could think of no other words to use that wouldn't give away too much of how she felt. She continued, giving up on thinking through what she was going to say.

"You'd never telephone me at some ungodly hour, I'd never pretend that I was annoyed that you had. You'd never look at me in that way…the way that tells me," she was struggling.

"Tells you what?"

She'd had a few more seconds to put the words together. "Tells me that there's something in the air between us."

"What's in the air between us Harry?"

Words flew through her brain; she had to choose one. "Chemistry."

At last he smiled. "Oh yeah, we've got chemistry all right. Enough to blow up a whole laboratory!"

She gave a small laugh and looked down coyly.

"I think, what I'm trying to say," she felt more inclined to continue considering his response, "is that in the time that we've worked together I've found myself wanting..." she suddenly has second thoughts about what she was going to say.

"Go on," he prompted her.

"Well..." she averted her eyes, "I'd hoped that you'd also wanted...or that...well that our relationship was developing into something... more than just a working relationship?" she finished quickly with a question in her voice.

"More?"

Her eyes rose to his and her heart rate rocketed as she began to think that she'd read everything wrong. That is until a slow smile spread across his face and he went on to say,

"And you call yourself a detective Harry. Have you only just figured that out?"

She exhaled with relief and rested her head back against the sofa. "Well, we do need to get some sleep. Don't you have to be at work tomorrow?"

"Yeah but not that early. Spikings didn't seem that bothered."

Makepeace looked thoughtful. "Hmm, he's not his usual self lately is he?"

Dempsey shrugged and took another gulp of his coffee.

"Anyway," she said, lifting her side of the blanket up and looking down at the sofa, "it doesn't look too comfortable on here so why don't we go to bed?"

Dempsey was in mid gulp of his coffee and he began coughing and choking when he registered her words. "Sorry," he coughed, "I thought that you just said..."

She stood up and headed towards the door, speaking over her shoulder. "I did. But don't get over excited Dempsey we need sleep. So, are you coming or not?"

She was already out of the room by the time Dempsey sprang into action, jumping off the sofa, tripping over the edge of the blanket and falling flat on his face. He picked himself up with a chuckle and raced after her.


	24. Chapter 24

Makepeace hadn't planned on inviting Dempsey into her bed but she hadn't regretted doing it either. She felt both nervous and excited as she climbed the stairs again, even though she had every intention of insisting that they sleep. She had thought that she would have at least some time before Dempsey caught up with her to figure out how she could cover up a little more as she was naked underneath the silk night slip. It wasn't entirely the thought of Dempsey's wandering hands that was making her somewhat anxious but her own inability to stop him. Dempsey had however reached her at lightning speed and now she was faced with disrobing and getting into bed in front of him. She considered keeping her robe on over her nightdress, at least it would provide some extra coverage.

"Do you have an alarm clock?" Dempsey asked. He actually looked a little nervous himself. He must have been because there was an alarm clock in clear view on her bedside table. She picked it up and handed it to him. As it turned out she was able to take advantage of the fact that he was focused on setting the alarm and she slipped into the far side of the bed with her robe on. He finished setting the alarm and placed the clock back on the table, looking across at her. She was sat up in the bed, leaning against the headrest. His eyes were warm and dreamy looking and when his smile came it lightened up his whole face. God she loved the way he was looking at her. She wanted him to always look at her like that. Biting her thumbnail she looked up at him timidly, flirting with her eyes as she slid down the bed in one swift movement. His eyes sharpened, his smile widened. He pulled back the covers and got into the bed beside her, turning onto his side and leaning on one elbow to look at her. She had the sense that he was going to kiss her then as he began to lean forward and she panicked, reconfirming what she had said earlier.

"We both need sleep Dempsey."

He nodded and rolled onto his back, not at all surprised by her words. She suddenly regretted what she had said, she wanted that smile back, that look in his eyes. But she was faced with a dilemma, would he push it too far if she encouraged him at all? She wanted some connection with him though. Reaching out under the covers she sought his hand. He turned to look at her as he laced his fingers through hers. She smiled at him. He smiled back and released her hand, lifting his arm to place it over her head and around her shoulder as he pulled her to him. She rolled over and lay against his chest and he caught her other hand this time instead, kissing it before holding it close to him. His arm slid down her back to hold her around her waist. The feel of his hand sliding down her body and the realisation that they were in her bed together brought a slight flush to her cheeks. He studied her face in great detail and she found it hard to keep eye contact with him but her eyes remained on his nonetheless. He lifted his hand and traced her jaw line with his finger. Then his finger was on her lips, outlining them. Her blush deepened, her breathing quickened. Suddenly the expression on her face changed and seeing this brought about the same expression on his. She looked tormented, as did he. He made a sound deep in his throat and then his lips were on hers.

She wasn't thinking or reasoning anymore, all she knew is that she wanted that kiss, she needed it. She opened her mouth to him and arched her body forward, surrendering completely to the moment. Her enthusiasm took him by surprise, it took him by storm, and he was helpless to stop what he did next. He rolled her over and he was on top of her, kissing, moaning, touching. The feel of his body on top of her, the hardness of his chest, his legs entwined with hers, his hands sliding up and down her body created arousal like she had never felt before. She had a primeval urge to surrender everything to him.

"Dempsey!"

The word expressed so much, excitement, desperation, shock, realisation. The sound of his name from her lips spoken in that way pushed him to the brink of what he could bare but in the back of his head he was aware that he really didn't know what she truly wanted at that moment. Her earlier words, 'we both need sleep' rang in his ears. He growled and tore his mouth away from her. They were both gasping for breath, staring at each other and waiting, wondering.

Dempsey spoke first. "Do you want me to make love to you Harry?"

The words spoken aloud brought home the reality of the situation. Her body was screaming "Yes!" but her mind was wavering.

"I...I do but...it's just..."

He smiled at her and silenced her with a finger on her lips. "Hey look you can stop tryin' to seduce me you little minx 'cause it aint exactly the right, perfect," he corrected, "situation."

She looked apologetic, guilty. He wanted to reassure her.

Bending his head he kissed her on the cheek and whispered, "When it happens, if it happens, it's gonna be perfect. I don't want anythin' less for us."

She felt tears prickle her eyes then and she swallowed to stop them. He winked at her and then abruptly rolled away, returning to his back.

"Of course you can call me Saint Dempsey now. I think I deserve the title, don't you?" He turned to look at her.

She smiled and nodded at him.

"Still I aint that good, you're gonna have to give me a few minutes before I come near you again."

She gave him a quizzical look.

"What, you think I'm stayin' over here the whole night? Just try keepin' my arms from you."

She smiled and reached out to him. He put up his hand to halt her. "More time I'm afraid."

She giggled.

"Okay, turn around and don't move a muscle for a while and we just might both be safe."

She rolled over and lay with her back to him and before long she felt him behind her, his hand resting loosely on her waist.

"Goodnight gorgeous," he whispered.

"Night," she paused for just a second before adding, "I don't much like Meatloaf."

His face lit up and he was shining from within. "Me neither."

They lay in the same position for quite some time until both of them were aching from not moving for so long and neither of them were close to sleeping. Eventually she wriggled in the bed, trying to rid herself of her aches. She lay still then for a moment but nothing had improved, she wriggled again. Dempsey felt her body sliding and pressing against his and the heat began to build.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he warned.

"Sorry but..."

He interrupted her. "You will be if you move against me like that again."

She growled with frustration and rolled onto her back, pushing him away. "I can't sleep. I want to but I can't."

"Me neither. Mind's workin' overtime."

"Mine too. I can't imagine why," she said, running a hand through her hair. "This is ridiculous, we have to sleep. Stay over there for a bit and let's see how we get on."

"Okay boss."

She rolled back and closed her eyes but her body didn't want to be in that position. She waited for a few moments and then rolled to face his side of the bed. He was still lying on his back but his eyes were closed. When he felt her move he opened an eye to see what she was doing. She laughed.

"Go to sleep!"

He closed his eye.

She lay there for another half an hour wriggling a little before she began to doze off. The next time she opened her eyes she was facing the wall again so she figured that must have turned in her sleep. Her brain gave up on conscious thought after that though and she was asleep soon afterwards.

It was hours later when she opened her eyes for the third time. She was half awake and she turned in the bed yet again but her eyes flew open when she felt something brush against her face. She was shocked and surprised to find herself nose to nose with Dempsey. He was watching her.

She laughed and moved her head back a little. "Hello."

"Hi," he replied.

It was still dark outside. She wondered why he wasn't asleep. "What are you doing?"

"Just checkin' that you're still here."

She chuckled. "Of course I'm still here. It's my bed, where else would I be?"

"With you I just never know."

They both laughed and then he lifted the covers slightly and looked down.

"Now what are you doing?" she asked.

"Just checkin' that I'm still here."

She laughed loudly at that. "Well, I've never been known to commit murder in my sleep!"

"Turn around again," he said suddenly. She complied and he whispered into her ear from behind. "Yeah, it's just that every day since that first night we spent together in the Park Lane I've been dreaming about bein' in bed with you. That's a hell of a lot of dreamin'. I'm just checkin' it's real."

He could feel her ear move as she smiled. He kissed it and then lay his head back on the pillow.

The last time that she was awakened before it was morning was when she felt something move around her waist. She opened her eyes to see Dempsey's hand holding onto the belt of her robe. He sensed that she was awake and he whispered,

"Trust me Harry, but just give me this one moment of weakness."

Her heart raced and her body temperature suddenly shot up. He pulled the belt and it slid undone. Then she felt his hand on her shoulder as he eased it under her robe and pulled half of the material away from her body. His hand moved to her waist and then slid up her side. The silk of her nightdress formed little in the way of a barrier. He knew exactly where he wanted his hand to stop and she suspected too. The anticipation was immense. Then she felt his hand cover her breast and she was burning with longing. He could feel evidence of her arousal in his hand and his body reacted with just as much intensity. He stroked her over the silk and ran his thumb over the most sensitive area of her breast. He could hear her breathing in short, shallow gasps. He couldn't carry on for fear that he wouldn't be able to stop. Before he moved away from her though he whispered into her ear again.

"I've never wanted anyone so desperately in my entire life."


	25. Chapter 25

**This is the last chapter of this story.**

Makepeace could sense that daylight had filled the room. She opened her eyes to see that Dempsey was lying with his back to her, his breathing steady. She smiled as memories of the night spent with him came back to her. She lifted her head off the pillow and let her eyes wander down his body. Somewhere in the night he had thrown the covers off him and he was exposed from the waist upwards. Her eyes moved up to his ruffled head of hair. He'd tossed and turned as much as she had. Then with a will of its own her hand moved towards him and hovered just above his shoulder. It lowered itself very slowly until it was resting gently against his skin. She stopped and waited to see if he would wake. He remained motionless. She bit her lip, she was thinking, contemplating.

Dempsey slowly opened his eyes but moved no other part of his body. He blinked to focus. He could feel Makepeace's hand on his shoulder and then suddenly he caught sight of her face. He frowned in confusion for a second before he realised that it wasn't her actual face he was looking at but a reflection of it in the mirror at the foot of the bed. He watched her expression with fascination as she ran her hand lightly down his arm and then paused, watching, waiting, looking slightly guilty. He half closed his eyes and wondered what she would do next.

She tilted her head and placed her hand flat on his back, her eyes flitting all the time over his exposed skin. Then she wriggled a little closer to him but stopped in mid wriggle, waiting again for evidence that he had sensed it. He had to fight to stop the laughter that he felt rising to the surface but he wasn't going to interrupt this for anything. She wriggled closer to him again until he could feel her close behind and then she lifted her arm, placing it over and around him. Again she stopped and waited. He felt her shoulder pressed against his back. It contrasted with the softness of her upper body, a softness that created an ache inside him. Then she lowered her head and rested it next to his, nuzzling into the back of his neck a little. He felt her kiss him there and his whole body tingled.

Then without warning the moment was abruptly interrupted by the ear piercing sound of the alarm going off. She dived for it, reaching over him and stopping the noise. He looked up at her and she froze.

"Hi," she said, with a quick smile.

He didn't reply, he just watched her with smouldering eyes, eventually leaning suddenly towards her, pressing his lips firmly against hers and then rolling off the bed with a groan.

"Gotta get away from you Harry or I'll not be responsible for my actions!"

He stood with his back to her and then turned, grabbing the corner of the blanket and tugging it off the bed.

"I need this," he said, wrapping it around his lower half. His eyes moved to hers and she tried not to laugh but she couldn't stop the grin that crept across her face.

He pointed an accusatory finger at her. "You're a minx Harriet Makepeace."

She grimaced but he smiled at her. Then his smile faded at the thought of having to return to the office.

"Ughh," he grunted, "work."

She watched him sympathetically. "To be honest I wish I could join you. I'll be bored out of my mind in here all day."

"I'll try to slip away for a bit and come back to see how you're doin', if that's all right."

"Of course," her face lit up. "I'll be looking forward to it."

He smiled. "Good. You have to rest though Harry. The sooner you get stronger, the sooner we'll get you back."

She accepted his point. "I know, I know. My body has to heal."

He looked across at her. "Yeah well it felt perfect to me but…" He looked down the blanket "…better not think about that eh."

She couldn't stop the laugh that escaped her. He gave her a wicked grin.

"Yeah, I'll go get changed now."

When he left for the bathroom Harry got out of bed and went downstairs to put the kettle on. She made them some coffee and toast and then headed back into the hallway to shout up the stairs to him.

"Dempsey, there's some breakfast down here for you if you want it!"

"Sure, thanks," he shouted back, emerging from the bathroom seconds later. He winked at her as he moved from the bathroom back into her bedroom. She smiled and then stooped to pick up the post that lay on the floor by the front door. She was flicking through the letters and returning to the lounge when the telephone rang. Looking up in surprise she threw the post down to pick up the receiver.

"Hello."

"Oh hello. Sorry to bother you but a tenant of mine gave me this number some months ago as a second means of contacting him, a Mr Dempsey his name is."

"Ah yes."

"Well I was just wondering when he was going to pick his front door keys up as he had said that he was going to move back into his apartment yesterday but he never turned up to collect the keys from me."

Her head shot up and her eyes widened. Just then she noticed Dempsey upstairs watching her as he had popped his head around the banister when he'd heard the telephone ring. She held up the receiver to him as if to indicate that the phone call was for him. He grimaced at the look on her face.

"Opps!" he said as his head disappeared again.

She threw the receiver down and ran towards the stairs. "Dempsey!" she shouted as she ran after him. "Come back here!"

_Ah hell, looks like I'm in trouble again but I love a feisty Harry and she's gotta catch me first!_


End file.
